Addicted
by The Miller's Daughter
Summary: A twist in fate, a second in time and something changed. Sarah McCall didn't expect how drastically the course of her life would change when she followed her twin brother and best friend into the Beacon Hill's reserve the night before their Sophomore year. She certainly hadn't predicted the danger in her future, or the love that could bloom in adversity. [Derek/OC]
1. Wolf Moon

**AN: I started this fanfiction a little over seven months ago, and as much as I adore it, it needs to be rewritten. Honestly when I wrote this I was delirious for half of it and over-tired for the other half. I found that when I read back on it, I was really disappointed with how the chapters had turned out. So I hope you enjoy this version, because personally, I like it much, much better.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf, that honor belongs to Jeff Davis. However, Sarah belongs to me.**

* * *

**Addicted**

**Chapter One**

**Wolf Moon**

* * *

The last thing sixteen-year-old Sarah McCall expected as she crawled into bed the night before her sophomore year of High School was to be woken up by her agitated twin brother at two AM in the morning. Especially when the wake-up call involved his large hand covering her mouth effectively muting any chances of screaming her head off in a justified and quite girly manner. In a move that any respectable five-year-old would be proud of she licked his hand causing him to grimace and pull his hand away.

"What the hell is your problem?" She whispered angrily as she wiped her lips and sat up in her queen-sized bed.

"I think there's somebody in the house." Scott responded tightly.

The brunette nodded, all traces of anger at her brother evaporating as she took in his tense demeanor and the stainless steel bat in his hand. No one in their family played baseball, however Melissa, their mother, disapproved of all things gun related (Except for when the police were involved) and so, they'd gotten a nice sturdy, reliable baseball bat.

Scott grasped her hand tightly and pulled his younger sister (by eleven minutes and twenty-nine seconds) smoothly out of bed. Sarah hissed as her bare feet hit the cold floor, and smiled as her twin handed her a pair of uggboots. Slipping her feet into the fluffy warmth of the boots she followed Scott closely as he held the bat aloft and stealthily walked down the stairs, stopping at the front door he pulled it open swiftly cringing at the slight creak of the door.

"Stay behind me." Scott mouthed and she nodded. He'd been her protector from a young age, stepping into the role that their father had abandoned seven years after they were born. As it turned out, Andrew had wanted a son, but not a daughter. She'd learned that particular bit of information the hard way when Scott came home in a towering rage after living with the man for six months. He'd refused to talk about exactly what Andrew had said to him, except to say that they were better off without him in their lives. It had taken their Mom sitting her down and explaining that no, there wasn't anything wrong with her and yes, she'd always, _always_ love her, no matter what happened, for her to accept that it wasn't her fault that he'd left.

The brunette was jarred out of her thoughts as Scott stopped suddenly in front of her causing her to walk into his back sending him tumbling forwards. He hit the deck with a loud thump as the bat clattered on the wood in front of him.

"Shit Scott!" Sarah swore as she bent down to help him up. Scott picked up the bat with his free and grasped her hand firmly with the other. With a small heave the slightly shorter brunette pulled him upright. A loud crack echoed in their ears as a vine fell from the climbing garden at the edge of the porch, Sarah jumped back, a scream falling from her lips as she came face to face with Stiles Stilinski. The brown-haired boy was tenuously hanging upside down- he'd hooked his legs over a thick branch further up and he was praying that said branch would stay exactly were it was with his added body weight. Stiles grinned sheepishly before yelling in shock as Scott reflexively swung the silver bat towards him, narrowly missing his head.

"Stiles!" Scott yelped as he dropped the bat, letting it hang at his side. He'd almost clobbered his best friend! "What the hell are you doing?"

"Neither of you were answering your phones!"

"It's two AM!" Sarah screeched, angry with the older boy for disturbing her last proper sleep before school.

"Why do you have a bat?" Stiles continued hysterically.

Scott glared at him and gestured towards his twin. "I thought you were a predator!"

"A what?" Stiles looked confused at the thought of him being considered a 'predator'. Glancing at his female best friend's sleeping attire his mouth formed a small 'o' before he continued. "Look I know it's late guys but you've got to hear this. I saw my Dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called, they're bringing in every officer from the Beacon Hills department and even the State police."

"For what?" The brunette girl asked curiously, her interest peaked by Stiles' tale.

He turned to her and smirked "Two joggers found a body in the woods." He flipped upside down and jumped to the ground, expertly landing on his feet.

"A dead body?" Scott asked curiously.

Sarah smacked him upside the back of his head as Stiles answered. "No a body of water. Yes dumbass a dead body."

The shorter boy vaulted onto the deck.

"You mean like murdered." Scott asked again.

"Nobody knows yet. Just that it was a girl. Probably in her twenties."

"Hold on." She held up her hand. "If they found the body then what are they looking for." Sarah questioned.

"That's the best part. They only found half." Stiles grinned bouncing on the balls of his feet. He stared at the two expectantly, "We're so going."

* * *

"Are we seriously doing this? Because you know, now that we're here, this doesn't seem like such a good idea." Sarah muttered as Stiles practically lifted her out of the jeep in his haste to find the body.

"Honestly Sare, you're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town!" Scott responded wryly as he linked their arms together.

The brunette scowled. "I think you'll find that the one bitching is Eri. Personally I'm quite happy with Beacon Hill's suffocating normalness."

Stiles laughed loudly. "She has a point there, Scotty."

"She's going to be furious that she missed this." Scott wheezed, his asthma flaring as they traipsed through the reserve. "You know what? I'm beginning to agree with Sare. This was a bad idea."

"Oh don't be such a baby." Stiles snapped as he raced ahead.

"I was trying to get a good nights sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott whined as he pulled his twin along after Stiles.

"Right." He called back to his friends. "Cause sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort."

Sarah smothered a laugh. Scott had been benched since their freshman year, his asthma preventing him from being able to last a whole game, and in typical Coach Finstock style, this translated into Scott being a crash-test dummy in practices.

"No, because I'm playing this year." Her brother replied annoyed. "In fact, I'm making first line!"

"Hey, that's the spirit!" Stiles responded happily, as he bounced along the trail. "Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one!"

Sarah snickered as Scott shot them both a glare. "Ha ha."

"Um just out of curiosity what half of the body are we looking for?" Sarah asked, steering the topic safely away from Scott's lack of skill at Lacrosse.

"Huh. I didn't even think about that."

Scott spoke up, his spine tingling as he realized something else. "And uh, what if the thing that killed her is still out here?"

"Also something I didn't think about." Stiles replied sheepishly.

Sarah groaned loudly. "It is so encouraging that you've planned this little expedition with your _usual _attention to detail!"

The twins paused as Scott gasped loudly and took a puff of his inhaler. "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, yeah?"

Stiles waved his hand dismissively as he easily climbed an embankment only to slip and fall flat on his face as he reached the top. Sarah smirked at her twin and pulled him up the hill. Her eyes widened as she realized that Stiles hadn't slipped, but had purposely fallen to the ground to avoid the flashlights in the distance.

"Stiles wait!" Sarah hissed as the boy in front of them jumped up and sprinted forward through the shadows to find a better vantage point.

"Come on!" Stiles whispered loudly, his voice carrying towards them.

Sarah shrank back into the shadow of the large oak tree that she'd taken refuge behind. Scott glanced up at her from his place on the ground and shook his head. The brunette nodded. Neither would follow their friend, they simply couldn't afford to be caught. Scott inched towards her hiding spot and took a deep breath from his inhaler. Sarah cringed as a dog barked in the distance, there was no way that Stiles would get himself out of this one, not when there were trained police dogs involved.

"Stop! Stop right there!"

"He's done for." Scott whispered. Sarah nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Hold up! This little delinquent belongs to me." The McCall twins cringed at the sound of Sherriff Stilinski's voice. Stiles was in trouble.

"Dad how are you doing?" Stiles asked smoothly as he got up off the ground and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

John Stilinski stared down at his son, amusement glittering in his eyes as he kept his expression stony. "So do you listen into all my phone calls?"

"Not the boring ones?" The brunette squeaked nervously.

"Where are your usual partners in Crime?" John paused and shone his flashlight into the woods. "Scott?" He paused. "Sarah?" He called loudly. Sarah pressed her body harder against the rough bark of the tree and covered her mouth with her hand in an effort to quiet her breathing. The last thing they needed was one of John's patented disappointed stares. He'd been the closest thing to a father either of them had had and neither of the twins wanted to let him down.

"Uh, they stayed home. Said something about a good nights sleep?" Stiles shook his head "It's just me. In the woods. Alone."

"Right." John nodded disbelievingly. "Sarah you out there?" His eyes scanned the darkness. "Scott?" The twin's stiffened as his flashlight passed over their hiding spot. Feeling satisfied with his search the Sheriff grasped the back of his son's neck loosely and pulled him towards him. "Well young man. I'm going to walk you to your car and you and I are going to have a conversation about something called invasion of privacy."

* * *

The twins waited until the flashlights had all but disappeared before they risked stepping out of the shadows of their hiding spot. Sarah cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders as she stepped out into the open.

"C'mon sis. We have a long walk home." Scott announced tiredly as he pulled out his cell phone and switched on the torch.

"Bloody Stiles." The brunette muttered as she brushed dried leaves and dirt off of her dark blue sweat pants. Pulling out her own phone she sighed as she flipped on the torch. She was right earlier. This _was_ a bad idea. Scott shook his inhaler noisily as they stumbled along in the darkness, something that Sarah wouldn't complain about, simply because it was a welcome relief from the eerily silent woods that surrounded them.

A loud howl pierced the air causing the hairs on the back of their necks to stand on end. "Was that a howl?" Scott asked shakily as he gripped his phone tighter.

Sarah shook her head immediately. "Impossible." She denied. "There aren't any wolves in California... Right?"

Scott shrugged- how would he know if there were wolves in California? The ground rumbled beneath them causing both of them to pause. "What the hell?" His eyes widened in shock as a herd of deer stampeded towards them. The older McCall bodily threw himself towards his younger sister sending them both tumbling away from the heavy hooves of the herd. Scott covered Sarah as much as he could with his larger body- it didn't matter to him if he got hurt, as long as she was okay.

The thunderous sound dimmed and faded as the last deer bounded away into the darkness. Scott sat up his arms still tight around his sister. He cupped her face lightly. "Are you okay?" He scowled as his eyes came to rest on a bloody gash on her cheek. "Does it hurt?"

Sarah gripped his wrists. "I'm fine Scotty. I just wanna go home."

"I know." Scott kissed her forehead and dropped his hands from her face, taking her hand instead. Knowing it would be a long walk home he felt for his inhaler- his eyes widening when he realized that it wasn't there. "Shit." He groaned. "I've lost my inhaler- Mom is going to kill me!"

Directing the torchlights on their phones to the ground they began to search for the tiny device of plastic and metal. Sarah pulled her hand from her brother's intending to search in the opposite direction. Bending down she brushed some leaves aside, scowling as she unearthed a chip packet and not the inhaler as she had hoped. A loud shout behind her caused her to jump in shock. Spinning in her brother's direction her stomach plummeted when she saw he was nowhere in sight.

"Scott!" Sarah yelled, terror leeching into her voice.

"I'm here!"

The brunette scowled, "Where the hell is here dumbass!"

"Down here!"

Sarah's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she peered through the darkness down an embankment. "I still can't see you! You're too far down!" She paused and raised the light. "Are you okay?"

Scott sighed. "I'm fine! Stay where you are though, I'll climb back up to you!"

The brunette sighed. Without his inhaler, it would take at least fifteen minutes for Scott to climb back up to her. "Okay!" Turning away from the embankment she resumed her search of the inhaler. Keeping her eyes to the ground she slowly shone the light from side to side hoping that she'd just stumble across the small device. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack! A loud snap behind her caused her to jump in fright, the brunette was sent sprawling as her left foot caught on a fallen branch. Reaching her hands out to stop her fall Sarah hissed in pain as her right arm audibly cracked, and bend in an awkward angle.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." She bit out as she sat up and cradled her now useless arm to her chest. How the hell was she supposed to explain that one to her Mom?

Her breathing was shallow from the pain- her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps instead of their normal rhythm. Sarah staggered to her feet her eyes scanning for the dim light of her phone, having dropped it when she fell. Spotting it several feet away, she groaned as she picked it up and realized the screen was completely shattered. A low growling behind her caused her to freeze. Her earlier crack about there not being any wolves in California had come back to haunt her- the fear she felt as she slowly inched around to face the growling was purely primitive- every instinct she had was screaming at her to run- to hide- to be anywhere but here.

The thing before her wasn't anything like the wolf she had expected. It was a horrific, mutated being- a monster- something that should have only existed on the silver screens of a Hollywood movie or in the pages of a Grimm Brothers fairytale. It was a thing that she couldn't have conjured even in her wildest dreams. It's crimson eyes flashed with untamed madness it seemed to relish in her fear and yet at the same time there was a spark of calculated intelligence as if it knew exactly what it was doing as it stalked towards her.

A blood-curtailing scream left her lips as the monster kept towards her it's fangs bared in a terrifying grimace. Sarah's screams heightened as the wolf- if you could possibly call it such a thing- clamped its razor sharp fangs into her right shoulder, biting it harshly before tearing it's teeth away roughly and bounding away. The brunette sunk to the ground in shock, her shoulder was bleeding profusely, and she could feel what was left of her strength leaving her as she lifted her shaking left hand to press against her mangled shoulder timidly.

Sarah cried out in pain as she pain in her shoulder doubled and spread to the base of her neck. Despite the heat from the blood still seeping from her wound, the rest of her body felt as though it had been submerged in an ice bath. "Scott." She cried softly. "Help me." The brunette's head felt heavy, it was as though she was seeing everything from a distance- the clarity refused to return to her haze filled mind. "Somebody help me?" She pleaded. Maybe if she just shut her eyes for a few moments. Perhaps everything would be better then. "I'm tired Scotty..." Sarah muttered. "It hurts." She mumbled as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Her eyelids were heavy- as though bricks or cement had weighted them down and despite the almost crushing pain... she felt weightless. As though she was flying. She'd always wanted to fly. Blue eyes opened slowly- it was dark but she realized that she wasn't floating- she was being held tightly in someone's arms.

"You... saved me?" She croaked looking up into dark eyes. "Are you..." Sarah cried out loudly as her shoulder jarred sharply. "Are you an angel?"

The man holding her seemed to stiffen. "Close your eyes. You'll feel better soon."

The blue-eyed girl complied sluggishly. _How long would it take her to feel better?_ She wondered absently. She was already feeling the effects of the blood-loss, her head felt fuzzy and her arm _burned._ Sarah gripped the man's collar with the last of her strength.

"Will I... see you...?"

Her tenuous grip on consciousness was slipping but she was determined to hear his answer.

"One day."

She sighed and released his shirt, giving into the blessed relief of unconsciousness.

* * *

Sarah sighed as she rolled over and yelped as she inadvertently put all over her body weight on her injured shoulder. Her eyes shot open, widening exponentially as she realized that she was in her bedroom. Glancing down she noticed that not only was her shoulder bandaged, but also her wrist had been set, bandaged and put into a sling. _How the hell was that even possible _she thought through her shock.

There was no way that she could have done it herself, not in her state. Hell, she'd thought that she was dead, and yet here she was bandaged, safe and most importantly, alive. So the question was, _who_ had bandaged her and _how_ had she gotten home? Had Scott- She froze. Scott!

"Scott!" Sarah shouted as she slid out of her bed and practically sprinted to her door.

Said door was flung open before she could reach it and the brunette soon found her self spinning in the air as her twin hugged her tightly. "Jesus Christ Sare. I was so scared- I couldn't find you and you won't believe what happened..." Scott trailed off as he placed her back on the hardwood floor and noticed the bandages. "What happened? Were you- were you-"

"Bitten?" The younger girl supplied wearily.

Scott sighed and dropped onto the edge of her bed. "I hoped that when I couldn't find you that you were fine, I hoped that you were safe."

Sarah hugged him with her good arm. "I know Ty, I know." She slipped back into her childish nickname of her brother, something that she only did when she was sad, scared or sympathetic. She'd outgrown the name long ago, and so had he, but it was still a comfort thing.

"Does it hurt?" He whispered.

"Yeah, but if I'm honest I think the broken arm hurts more."

Scott gaped. "Broken arm? How the hell did that happen?"

"I fell, before the wolf? bit me." Sarah used the term wolf hesitantly. "Did you- did you see it?"

The older boy shook his head. "No. I didn't. Whatever it was- it was big- and strong- Sare, it jumped up the embankment, cleanly. It knocked me down and bit me... It was as though I was an afterthought..."

"It was different with me." The blue-eyed girl replied uneasily. "It stopped. Watched me. It knew exactly what was going on- Ty, that thing, whatever it was, wasn't some dumb animal- I could see-" She stopped and shook her head. How could she tell her brother she saw _intelligence_ in its crimson eyes. How could she tell him that it _knew_ exactly what it was doing to them? "We're going to be late."

"Sare-"

"I'm fine Ty, don't worry."

* * *

The two McCall's strolled into school with minutes to spare. It had taken longer than she'd thought to get dressed this morning, even after she'd forgone the shower, opting for a quick going over with a face-washer. She'd struggled into her light ripped skinny jeans, thanked god for the invention of zip-up boots and tucked her baggy t-shirt into the front of her jeans and shrugged on a back blazer. The pain in her shoulder had dulled however her forearm screamed in protest whenever she moved it. It wasn't as if she could go to the hospital- they'd find the bite, and how was she supposed to explain that?

She'd never been so thankful that her Mom had overstocked their bathrooms with first aid supplies. Sarah had checked as soon as Scott had left, and found that some of the supplies were missing- two bandages, a sling and a brace. Her Angel. Not only had he saved her, but he'd brought her home and patched her up. The fact that a bottle of pain medication had been left out on the bathroom counter only strengthened her resolve to find the person who'd saved her life. She had to thank him somehow right?

"Dude! Watch the paint job." Sarah turned, watching as Jackson Whittemore scolded her brother for stepping to close to his precious silver Porsche.

"Dude." Scott responded sarcastically. "Nobody says dude."

Jackson glared at him before plastering a smirk on his face as he spotted her. "Looking good McCall." He smirked as he eyed the sling.

Sarah scowled. "You're still an asshole then."

"And you're still a bitch." He called over his shoulder with a grin as he swaggered away.

"Twat." She muttered waiting for her twin to catch up for her.

"Okay!" Stiles said happily as he bounded over to them. "Let's see this thing!" Scott pulled up his shirt showing his bandaged side. Judging from the somewhat sloppy job Sarah realized he must have attempted to cover it himself. Stiles' eyes widened in shock as he saw the size of the bite. He tentatively poked it, pulling his hand back quickly as his best friend hissed in pain. He turned towards the other brunette and seemed to droop as he noticed her sling and heavily bandaged arm. "I really hope you just tripped and fell." He muttered as he stared at her.

Sarah shook her head.

"Damn it." Stiles muttered angrily. "I thought you'd be okay. I thought I could come back and get you... I didn't think this..." He gestured to their bandages as he trailed off.

"Yeah well, you didn't think and there's nothing you can do about it now." Sarah responded with a snap. She didn't want to blame Stiles, but it was his idea, and he had left them in the woods with no way home.

Scott shook his head. "It wasn't his fault Sare."

"It was his idea!"

"Sare, I'm sor-"

She shook her head and changed the subject. "We think it was a wolf."

"No." Stiles laughed. "Not a chance."

"Stiles, we heard it."

"No. Because California doesn't have wolves! Not for at least sixty years." Stiles replied stubbornly.

Sarah grasped his arm and pulled them to a stop. "Stiles. What we _saw..._ it wasn't normal." She shuddered. "It was like something out of a nightmare- it was strong, fast and it was _toying _with us. It _knew_ exactly what it was doing."

Both boys shuddered. "Sare... Are you sure-"

"Jesus Stiles. Yes she's sure! Now if you're done questioning my sister's sanity I'll tell you what else I found last night."

Sarah rolled her shoulder back, hoping to relieve some of the tension. "Your Inhaler perhaps?"

"No." Scott poked his tongue out hoping to return some of the light heartedness to their small group. "I found the body."

Stiles stumbled as he jumped up and down in excitement. "Are you kidding me?" He yelped.

"Oh god I wish. I'm going to have nightmares for months."

Sarah glanced at her brother. He hadn't told her that. Not that she could judge him she supposed, for she hadn't told him about her Angel. And she wouldn't. Not until she found out who it was that had saved her life.

"That is freaking awesome! I mean this is seriously going to be the best thing that has happened to this town since." His eyes slid towards the strawberry blonde that was strutting towards them. "Since the birth of Lydia Martin. Hey Lydia!"

Lydia paused as she stared at the small group, her eyes widening as a genuine smile formed on her face. "Sarah? What the hell did you do to your arm?!"

"Lydia!" The brunette grinned as she pulled the girl into a one armed hug. "Oh well, you know me. Apparently heels aren't a good idea." The lie fell from her lips easily, and she was glad that her brother made no move to deny her story. "It's just a sprain. So how was Rome?"

Lydia's eyes lit up. "It was beautiful. You wouldn't believe how much I lear-bought. How much I bought. Obviously." She laughed nervously.

Sarah smirked at her friend's slip. She was one of the few people that had realized that Lydia was more than just designer clothing and lip-gloss. Her friend had a _genius_ level IQ, the only thing she couldn't understand about the strawberry blonde, was why she dumbed herself down for a guy. That the guy was Jackson Whittemore was insulting. That boy wouldn't know the difference between a spatula and a serving spoon.

"So how was good old Beacon Hills?" Lydia continued still attempting to cover her slip.

The brunette stiffened. "Oh you know. Same old, same old."

Both girls glanced towards the open doors of the school as the bell rang. "Catch up later?"

Lydia nodded. "I'll call you." She hugged the brunette lightly, carefully avoiding her injured arm. Pulling away she waved over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs. "Bye!"

Stiles snaked an arm around Sarah's waist and pulled her close. "How is it," He whined, "That she ignores me, but adores you?"

"Oh Stiles." The blue-eyed girl laughed. "That may have something to do with the fact that I haven't stalked her since the third grade."

"Ahh." He conceded with a grin. "The Lady has a point."

* * *

The three friends slid into desks in their first class with minutes to spare. Dumping her satchel on the ground beside her, Sarah pulled out a spiral-bound notebook and a pen setting them on the table in front of her.

"As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night-" Stiles winked as both brunettes glanced at him. "Now I'm sure your little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios, however I am here to inform you that the police have a suspect in custody. Which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus on your desk outlining this semester."

Sarah picked up the syllabus on her desk and sighed. She hated modern world history. Ancient Civilizations was more to her speed, however this year, Ancient Civ's wasn't running and she needed a history class to pass sophomore year. The brunette flinched as the shrill sounds of a cell phone assaulted her eardrums. She shifted in her seat, attempting to find the person with the phone only to find her brother doing the same. The two siblings locked eyes- Scott shrugged, an answer to her unasked question. Sarah shook her head and flicked her eyes around the room again the shrill tone was beginning to hurt her ears, all she wanted to do was throw the small device against the wall, and yet she couldn't find the source of the sound.

She flinched as the tone shifted and an unfamiliar voce met her ears, complaining about not bringing a pen, of all things. She glanced back at her brother, and was surprised to find him staring out the window, confusion clear on his face. The brunette followed his gaze and almost fell out of her chair as she realized what exactly had caught Scott's attention. A dark-haired girl, seated on one of the benches, under one of the trees at the front of the school, with a _phone _pressed to her ear. The pain in her shoulder intensified the longer she attempted to listen to the conversation between the girl and the woman on the other end of the line.

Sarah purposefully turned her head from the window and gripped the desk with her uninjured hand tightly. There was no way that she was actually _listening _to a conversation that was happening outside, over one hundred meters away- it just wasn't possible. _That's what you said about werewolves, _a niggling voice whispered darkly in the back of her mind. Werewolves? She gritted her teeth. _Something_ was happening to her- to both of them, and it all boiled down to the same point- the bite they'd both received.

The brunette was so deep in her thoughts she barely noticed as the dark haired girl slipped into the seat beside her. Sarah rubbed her shoulder softly, hoping to alleviate the pain before she realized something. The man who had rescued her had taken her home, bandaged her arm and shoulder _instead_ of to a hospital. _Had he known what had bitten her?_ Another thought struck her, sending a cold shiver down her spine._ Had he bitten her? _She dismissed that thought almost as soon as it came into her mind. No, if he'd bitten her he wouldn't have taken her home and bandaged her wounds. But... there was another answer to that question. _Could her Angel be the same?_

"Hey? Do you have a pen?"

Sarah looked up; the girl from the tree was leaning towards her, her pale face expectant. "I'm sorry?"

The new girl gave her an annoyed look. "Do. You. Have. A. Pen?" She repeated slowly.

Sarah scowled. What was this girl's problem? Before she could respond Scott reached over and handed the new girl a pen. The pale-skinned girl accepted it thankfully, and shot the brunette a triumphant smirk. Sarah clenched her fists tightly and glared at her star struck brother over the top of the other girl's head. This girl had been here for less than five minutes and she'd already managed to piss somebody off. Surely that was some kind of record.

The brunette rolled her shoulders back as, much to her relief, the bell rang signaling the end of her least favourite class. Sarah sighed as she gathered her stuff and stalked out of class. Her shoulder was burning, the new girl had pissed her off and she was still kinda mad at Stiles. All in all, her day had been nothing short of terrible. Yanking her locker open she shoved her stuff inside and was glad when she realized that she had a free period.

Lydia smirked from the locker beside her. Due to their last names, they'd had lockers beside each other since the seventh grade; thankfully they'd become fast friends over the years. "Somebody's having a bad day."

Sarah laughed. "Oh you have no idea."

The strawberry blonde tilted her head to the side as she watched an unfamiliar girl stroll down the hall. "That jacket is totally killer." She smiled at the dark-haired girl.

"Thanks. I'm Allison, Allison Argent." The pale girl introduced herself.

"I'm Lydia Martin. This is Sarah McCall- she's kinda cranky so I wouldn't piss her off." Lydia smirked, shooting the girl beside her an amused glance. The green-eyed girl smiled widely as Jackson walked towards them. "And this is Jackson, my boyfriend."

Allison smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Sarah just waved her hand dismissively. She wasn't exactly interested in getting to know this girl.

"So there's a party this weekend." Lydia smirked, her eyes lighting up. The brunette beside her grinned, She loved a good party, and Lydia threw the best ones.

"Yeah." Jackson added. "It's on Friday night, you should come!" He glanced at Sarah. "You however, are welcome to stay home."

"Jackson!" Lydia growled.

"Not bloody likely asshole." Sarah snapped.

"Uh." Allison paused, glancing between the three uncertainly. "Friday night is family night."

"Great!" Sarah replied sarcastically. "I hope you have a wonderful night."

Allison's eyes turned to steel. "I'll be there."

"Everyone's going after the game." Jackson grinned at the girl who'd managed to piss off the female McCall beside him.

"You mean like football?" Allison questioned.

Sarah shook her head as Jackson replied. "Football's a joke here. No, the sport here is Lacrosse. We've won the State Championships three years in a row."

"Whittemore here is the Captain." The brunette jabbed her thumb in the general direction of the arrogant boy.

Lydia gripped Jackson's bicep proudly. "Tryouts are in a few minutes. You should come!"

"Speaking of tryouts. I've gotta go." Jackson mumbled, before kissing Lydia's cheek and waving to the small group of girls over his shoulder.

* * *

"So." Lydia smirked as she sat down, unlinking her arm from Sarah's. "You're from San Fran Cisco?" She asked Allison.

The pale girl nodded. "Uhhuh, but I've moved around my whole life." She grinned. "I used to live in Paris."

"Oh wow." The green-eyed girl gushed. "What was that like? I spent my summer in Rome, it was beautiful!"

Sarah happily tuned the two girls out. She'd grown up in Beacon Hills, and she'd never even left America. It didn't bother her, she loved the place she'd grown up in- perhaps one day she'd travel, but not anytime soon. She had to at least graduate first!

"Who is that?" Allison asked the girl beside her.

"Him?" Lydia shrugged. "I'm not sure who he is." She peered at him closely. "Hey, isn't that your brother?" She asked Sarah.

The brunette nodded. "Yep. That's my Scott." She smirked. "Lacrosse extraordinaire."

"Seriously?" Allison gaped. "_He's_ your brother?"

"Twin."

"Excuse me?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "He's my twin."

Lydia smirked. "Got a crush Allison?"

"He's in my Modern World History class." The dark-haired girl grinned.

As Coach Finstock blew his whistle, signaling the start of tryouts Sarah barely resisted the urge to clap her hands over her ears as the shrill sound threatened to burst her eardrums. She gritted her teeth and searched for her twin in the crowd of players and noticed that he'd actually covered his ears. _Had she actually heard Allison's conversation earlier? Was it even possible?_

The brunette smothered a laugh as a lacrosse ball smacked Scott on the faceplate of his helmet sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Lydia grinned beside her. "Oh I remember him now."

Sarah snickered. "He's hard to forge- what!" She shot to her feet in shock. "Did he just catch that?" She asked the still seated girl beside her.

"Uhhuh." The green-eyed girl gaped.

The brunette watched in silent shock as Scott caught the next three balls in quick succession. She snapped out of it as he caught the fourth ball with ease. "Woooh! Go Scott!" She yelled pumping her fist in the air.

Allison spoke up beside her. "He seems like he's pretty good."

"Yeah very good." Lydia agreed shocked.

Scott bounced on the balls of his feet, encouraged by the shouting of the crowd that had gathered to watch the tryouts. Jackson glared at the boy in goals from the end of the line and shoved his way to the front, using is lacrosse stick as a barrier to stop the next player in the line up.

"Oh god." Both McCall's' muttered.

Jackson sprinted towards the goals, swung the racket back and flung the ball towards the net. Scott stepped to the side and caught the ball, a shocked grin forming on his face as he did.

Stiles screamed, jumping up from his place on the bench and shouting for joy. Scott had done it! "Yeah! That is my friend!" He yelled triumphantly. He turned to look at the bleachers and caught Sarah's eye. Their Scotty had finally done it. He was going to make first line.

* * *

"I don't know what it was." Scott explained as he, Stiles and Sarah trudged through the reserve. They'd decided- translation being that _Scott _had decided- that they should come back to the Beacon Hills Reserve and search for the inhaler before their Mom got home from her over night (almost twenty-four hour) shift at the hospital. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball!"

Sarah sighed. "I know this is going to sound weird but have you been hearing-"

"Things that we shouldn't be able to hear?" Scott nodded. "This morning in history I could have sworn I heard-"

"The new girl's phone call, while she was outside under the tree? Same."

"Can you smell the-"

"Mint mojito gun in his pocket." Sarah finished, jabbing her thumb towards Stiles.

"Woah. Okay Fred and George." Stiles muttered as he watched the verbal tennis match between them. "What do you mean mint mojito gum in my..." He looked down in shock as he pulled out a small packet of gum from his pocket. "Pocket." He finished amazed. "How did you?"

The twins smirked and high-fived. Sarah tapped her nose as an explanation.

Stiles shook his head. "Uh uh. No way. It's not possible."

"What if it's like an infection?" Scott mused. His eyes widened. "What if our bodies are just flooding with adrenalin and we're going to go into shock or something?"

"You know what. I think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection." Stiles replied steadily.

"What?" Scott demanded.

"Lycanthropy."

Sarah smothered a laugh. There was no way they were turning into werewolves. This wasn't Hollywood and werewolves most definitely didn't exist. _Right?_

"What's that? Is that bad?"

"Oh yeah it's the worst." Stiles continued keeping his face blank from emotion. "But only once a month. On the night of the full moon." At Scott's confused expression he faked a howl. "Awooooooooo!"

"Damn it Stiles! I thought you were serious!" Scott cried. "There could be something really wrong with us!" He gestured between himself and his sister.

"I know!" Stiles laughed. "You're werewolves! Okay, okay!" He dodged another of Scott's half-assed swipes. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But if you see me in shop class melting all the silver I can find, it's because Friday's a full moon."

"You know what Scott, he's actually kinda funny." Sarah smirked. "I think we should kill him last. You know, saving the best and all that."

Stiles eyes widened. "I was kidding about the silver I promise."

Sarah grinned. "And I was kidding about saving you till last."

"I could have sworn this was it. The deer came running, I saw the body down there, and I dropped my freaking Inhaler." Scott groaned. "Sare, this is it right?"

"Uhhuh." She responded softly.

"Maybe the killer moved the body." Stiles offered as Scott searched the ground.

"If he did I hope he left my Inhaler. Those things are like eighty bucks!"

Sarah shut her eyes tightly as she looked at the log not twenty feet from where she was standing. The crimson eyes- the pain in her arm- the crunching of leaves- the blood- her blood- She pitched forwards unexpectedly as the flashbacks became too much, she closed her eyes tighter as she braced herself for the impact of the fall- what she didn't expect was the warm body that caught her effortlessly. Blue met green as her eyes shot open.

"I got you."

The brunette couldn't believe it. He was _real_. Her Angel. The one who'd saved her was real. There were so many things she wanted to ask him- why- how- what- but her vocal cords were frozen. She had so many questions and yet had no idea what to say to him.

"Sarah have you found any... thing?" Stiles gaped at the sight of his best friend in the arms of Derek Hale. _When the heck had he come back to town? _The brunette thought wearily. He'd seen the aftermath of the fire that destroyed Derek's home, he'd read the case file (not that his father knew that, or ever would know that)- and he'd come to one conclusion. Bad things happened around Derek Hale.

"What the hell did you do to my sister?" Scott growled menacingly as he stepped towards the unfamiliar male holding his sister.

Sarah reluctantly pulled herself from her Angel's arms. "I'm fine Scott, I just tripped again." She looked up catching the barely there glimpse of curiosity in his eyes. They were darker than she expected, but they were still such a vibrant green that she could have happily stayed there all-day and stared into their almost intensely cold depths.

"What are you doing here? Huh? This is private property." His voice was rough, any yet; she believed that he could sweet talk a nun into taking her clothes off and dancing upon a church altar completely naked.

"Erhm. Sorry man. We didn't know."

Scott fixed the dark-haired man with a dark glare. "We were just looking for something. It doesn't matter."

Sarah watched transfixed as her Angel pulled Scott's Inhaler out of his pocket and gently placed in into her injured hand. His fingers ghosted over the bandages- checking- feeling- making sure everything was healing like it should. "Be safe." He whispered.

She blinked and he was gone. Scott rushed to her side and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He hesitantly reached for his Inhaler.

"I'm fine Ty." She whispered. "We better get going. You've got to get to work."

"Sare-"

"I'm alright. Okay?" She touched his cheek softly. "I'm alright."

"Promise?"

Sarah smiled and held out her pinky finger. Scott linked it with his with a grin. "I promise."

"Guys." Stiles broke in, changing the subject with ease. "Do you know who that was? That was Derek Hale!" He slipped his arm around Sarah's waist as Scott did the same from the other side. "You remember right? He's only a few years older than us."

"Remember what?" Scott asked curiously.

"His family?" Stiles explained incredulously. "They all burned to death in a fire like ten years ago!"

"I wonder what he's doing back?" Scott mumbled.

_Derek, _Sarah thought. _His name is Derek._

* * *

Sarah sighed as she heard the front door slam shut, meaning that Scott had finally left for work. The brunette rolled off her bed and walked into her en-suite. She stopped in front of the large mirror and pulled the thin strap of her tank top down so she'd have full access to the square bandage that completely covered her shoulder. She'd changed into her pajamas as soon as she'd gotten home, preferring the comfort of her loose pink cotton shorts to the fashionable jeans she'd been wearing for the majority of the day.

Fumbling with the knot behind her neck from the sling she growled impatiently and yanked it over her head, throwing it to the floor beside her as soon as she'd freed her arm. Sarah tentatively peeled the corner of the thick bandage half way down. Her eyes widened and she pulled the rest of the bandage down harshly. The once mangled skin on her shoulder was clear and unblemished- not a single scar in sight. Her wide eyes flicked to her wrist... was it possible that the bone in her arm had healed too? She tugged at the bandage, unraveling it awkwardly with her left hand. The revealed skin was bruised and swollen but as she wearily touched her wrist she realized that the bone in her arm had almost completely knitted back together.

The brunette wrenched the tank top over her head and turned around, attempting to look at her back in the mirror. All the scratches she'd received last night had completely healed. Sarah stared down at her hands- absently she noticed that they were shaking. _What's happening to me?_

She left her bathroom in a daze. Her mind had stopped processing what was going on; vaguely she realized that she was probably in shock. The blue-eyed girl picked up her phone and hit speed dial.

"This is Stiles."

_Huh,_ she realized. _Number three is Stiles. _"I don't know what's happening to me."

_"Sare?" He questioned hesitantly. "Sarah?"_

"I think- there's- there's something happening to me." Sarah stuttered.

_"Calm down Sare! Use your words!" Stiles exclaimed. As soon as she'd called he'd known something was wrong. She sounded disorientated, scared and confused- three things that Sarah McCall never was._

"My arm- and- and my shoulder." She took a deep breath. "They've healed?"

_"Not possible." Stiles rebuked._

Sarah scowled. "You've been saying that all freaking day Stiles!" She responded, her voice beginning to rise. "I've been telling you all day that this stuff is real and you refuse to believe me!"

_"Sare-"_

"If you don't want to help me then you can just fuck off!" The brunette spat, her temper flaring.

_"Come on sorellina, calm down." Stiles sighed. "I don't know what to believe. It's just... it all seems so far-fetched. I mean-"_

Sarah slid down the wall into a tight ball and wrapped one arm around her knees. "I understand." The brunette sighed. "I- I'm scared Stiles."

_Stiles unconsciously mimicked her position on the other end of the line. "I know baby. Maybe you just need a good nights sleep."_

"I don't know if I can sleep."

_He frowned- Sarah was the kind of girl who could sleep anytime, anywhere. For her not to be able to sleep- He shook his head. That line of thoughts wasn't good. "Do you want a lullaby?"_

Sarah laughed shakily. "Only if it comes from your iPod."

_"Fair call." Stiles snorted. "Hey," He whispered. "Everything is going to be alright. I promise. We'll talk in the morning, yeah?"_

"Yeah." The blue-eyed girl mumbled. "Goodnight Sti."

_"Goodnight Sare."_

* * *

Crystal blue eyes snapped open as a frigid gust of air swept over her body effectively waking her from her slumber. Her scream echoed through the Reserve as she finally processed where she was. Sarah shot to her feet- her skin was crawling, she'd never slept walked a day in her life- and yet here she was, practically naked in the middle of the woods. She shivered, her teeth chattered and her whole body shook. _What is wrong with me?_

The brunette wrapped her shaking arms around her bare torso took an unstable step forward. Her feet hurt, and she knew it was probably because she'd been running wild all night. Sarah cried out as her ankle rolled and her knees crashed into the ground. Tears formed in her eyes. What had she done to deserve this?

The crunching of leaves caused her to look up. A blackened house loomed in the distance- _The Hale House_ she realized absently. It was dark and broken- a shadow of something that was once beautiful. Her cobalt eyes were drawn to the imposing figure that knelt beside her gracefully- he was just like the blackened house... cold, broken and oh so empty.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-" She shook her head. "I don't know how-"

Her Angel sighed. "You don't know what's happening." She nodded. "You were bitten."

Sarah's eyes gleamed with accusation. "Did you do this to me? Did you- did you turn me into- into this?"

"No."

"Then who did?" She cried. "I'm going insane! I can hear things over a hundred meters away- I can smell things I shouldn't be able to- I slept walked over twelve kilometers! There's something wrong-"

Derek gripped her arms. "You're not insane, and there is nothing wrong with you. The thing that bit you was an Alpha- you're transitioning."

"Transitioning?" Sarah retorted disbelievingly. "No- what you're saying- it can't- it _can't- _Werewolves aren't real! They're not real!"

"Hey." Derek barked. "Look at me. Look at me! Am I real?" Sarah nodded. "I am real. We're the same. _You_ were bitten. _I was born_."

"Y-you?"

He nodded. "Yes, me."

"Why did you save me?" She whispered hugging her chest.

Derek sat back and propped his hands on top of his knees. "You reminded me of someone I once knew. I couldn't just leave you there."

Sarah smiled sardonically. "My very own guardian angel."

He laughed bitterly. "I'm far from angelic." The dark-haired man stood up and brushed his dark washed jeans down. He held out his hand. "Come on. I'll give you a lift home."

The brunette grasped his hand, marveling at the smooth callouses that covered them. "How do you know where I live?"

"I didn't." He pulled her upwards easily. "Last night I followed your scent."

Sarah shivered. Now that she was standing she was consciously aware of exactly how much clothing she was wearing- her black sports bra and cotton shorts did little to hide her modesty. Derek stared down at the smaller girl- he hadn't realized how little she was actually wearing. He shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders without a word. Sarah shoved her arms through the sleeves and zipped it up feeling instantly warmer as she put her hands in the pockets.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Derek nodded. He glanced at the smaller girl out of the corner of his eye as he slowly led her towards his Chevrolet Camaro- She seemed so small, his jacket almost dwarfed her, the arms were at least four inches too long and it seemed as though it could wrap around her body another time. And yet, despite the dirt that covered her and the dark rims around her eyes- she was still beautiful. He shook his head and opened the passenger door, gesturing for her to get inside. They were dangerous thoughts.

Sarah moved to step into the car, but at the last moment she paused and turned back around to face him. "Why are you helping me?"

His green-eyes were almost fierce as he replied. "Because you need me."

Sarah bit her lip. Did she need him? Did she need this perfect stranger in her life? The answer hit her like a ton of bricks. Without him, she'd still be broken and bleeding- he'd saved her life. She nodded. The smaller brunette ducked into the car- the interior was soft- _leather again _she noticed wryly. Sarah pulled the door shut and watched as he sat comfortably in the seat beside her. The engine roared to life and they were soon speeding down the road in a semi-comfortable silence. Her blue-eyes followed his every movement- from the way the muscles in his arms rippled as he turned the steering wheel to his obvious relaxation as he drove at speeds that would have given her mother a heart attack. He was kind of beautiful she realized.

All too soon they pulled into the driveway of her two-story house. Getting out of the car would mean confronting the reality of what she was and honestly, she wasn't quite ready. Sarah pulled the jacket tighter around herself. "Nothing will ever be the same, will it?"

"No. Derek answered. "Your life- your brother's life- will never be the same."

* * *

She was over three hours late to school by the time she'd finished scrubbing off the last of the dirt that had accumulated on her skin throughout the night. Luckily for her she'd only missed Modern World History (can you say hell yes?) and now had a free period. She smiled. The lacrosse field beckoned. Despite the yelling and grunting of the Lacrosse players, she enjoyed the cool breeze that the bleachers offered her. The brunette rested her head against the cool metal bars at the end of the bleachers.

"So, your brother- how weird is that in all the years we've known each other I've never actually talked to him- has gotten a date with the new girl." Lydia babbled as she gracefully sat beside her.

"Wait- Scott is going on a date with _Allison_?" Sarah scowled distastefully.

"Wow, say it like you mean it." Lydia laughed, "What did she even do to you? Did she sleep with your boyfriend or stab you in the eye cause I'm getting some mixed vibes here."

Sarah stared at the strawberry blonde incredulously. "I don't even know how to reply to that Lyds."

"Then don't." The green-eyed girl smirked. "When's Eri home?"

"Sunday. How is it that everyone but Stiles, Scott and I left the country this summer?" She groaned.

The girl beside her laughed. "Oh sweetheart. Like you'd want to leave, you love it here."

Sarah laughed loudly as she pulled her vibrating phone out of her pocket. Lydia grinned and gestured for her to answer it. "Hello?"

"_We have a problem."_

"Stiles," She smirked. "I should have known."

"_I overheard my Dad on the phone-"_

"Jesus Sti, you've got to stop doing that-"

"_Listen to me! The fiber analysis came back from the lab in L.A, they found animal hairs on the body from the woods!"_

Sarah's eyes scanned the field, searching for her friend. She stood up, waving off Lydia's concerned glance and moved further away from the bleachers where she wouldn't be over heard. "Stiles, what's wrong?"

"_The animal hairs from the body- they came from a wolf."_

The brunette's legs nearly buckled beneath her. Here was the proof she was asking for- the unwanted, but somewhat expected truth of the matter. She turned as a loud cheer erupted behind her, from what she could hear, Scott had just made the team. "There's something else Sti."

"_What?"_

Sarah sighed. "That lycanthropy joke? It just got real."

* * *

"Hey kiddo." Melissa leant against the doorframe with a soft smile as she watched her little girl stand in front of her full-length mirror. "You know, I could have sworn I told you to stop doing that."

Sarah turned to face her mum. "Stop doing what?"

The older woman strode forward and wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. "Growing up on me. It's not fair- I'm too hot to have two sixteen year olds!"

Both brunettes laughed loudly, their eyes sparkling as their giggles reverberated around the room.

"So, is this a party or a date?" Melissa asked after she'd recovered from her laughter.

"Well, it's a party for me." She glared towards her brother's open door. "It's a _date_ for him."

"Sarah!" The brunette grimaced at Scott's annoyed tone- if he got too angry, he'd refuse to give her a lift to no matter what their mum insisted.

Melissa grinned recognising the tell-tale signs in her daughter. "You don't like her?"

Sarah glanced at her mother. "No. She's a bitch."

"And," The older woman started, "How long did it take for you to decide this Sarah Anne?"

"Thirty seconds." The brunette mumbled.

"Yes that's what I thought." Melissa laughed. "Have fun tonight okay? But be home at a reasonable hour." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow morning okay kiddo?"

Sarah nodded and hugged her mum tightly. "Love you Mumma."

"I love you too baby girl."

The brunette watched with as her mum strode out of the room. Her mum meant everything to her. After all, apart from Scott, she was all she had. So how could she tell her that everything she loved about her baby girl was changing into some_thing_ else? Sarah shook her head sharply. Now was not the time to think about it. She frowned at her reflection. Despite the strategically placed make-up, the bags under her eyes were still prominent. She sighed. Apparently this was as good as it was going to get.

"You ready to go?"

Sarah looked up to find Scott leaning against her door with a grin on his face. "As I'll ever be."

* * *

They arrived at Lydia's party with Allison in tow, much to Sarah's disgust. Scott had relegated her to the backseat, claiming that since Allison was a guest, she should get the front. Hoping to avoid an argument with her brother, she'd grudgingly agreed. However after watching the pale-faced girl practically throw herself at Scott, she'd been left feeling awkward and increasingly uncomfortable.

Lydia had barely looked away from Jackson long enough to smirk at her and point her towards the undoubtedly spiked punch, knowing that after spending so much time with the new girl she'd be in need of some serious liquid courage in order to get her through the night. She'd poured herself a large glass and skulled it- waiting patiently to feel the effects.

"I hate to tell you this, but you can't actually get drunk anymore."

Sarah turned her shocked eyes towards the newcomer. "You've got to be kidding."

Derek smirked. "Wish I was."

"Aren't you a little old for high school parties?" She asked wryly as she grabbed another glass of punch, she was pretty sure that he was at _least_ twenty-one- only a measly five-year age gap. _Nothing too major_ she thought sarcastically.

"Probably." He shrugged and blatantly raked his eyes over her body, lingering on her skinny jean clad legs for a moment longer then he should have. "But I needed to talk to you."

"Then talk." Sarah paused. "Actually no." She shook her head and smiled flirtatiously. "Dance with me."

Derek shook his head. "You shouldn't be here." He pointed towards the clouded sky. "It's a full moon."

Sarah turned her back on him. "Are you going to dance with me or not Hale?" She asked over her shoulder.

"I-"

The brunette stepped towards him, intentionally pressing her body flush against his as she whispered in his ear. "One dance." She pulled his hands forward to rest on her hips and slowly twined her arms around his neck. "The moon will wait."

Derek flicked his eyes upwards searching for the moon in the sky however before he could find it the girl in his arms distracted him. The tips of her fingers lightly traced patterns on the back of his neck- he involuntarily pulled her closer as she did. How long had it been since someone had been this close to him? _Too long _he realized. The brunette smirked up at him, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her hips. They swayed to the beat of the music, Derek swung her out and back in lightly, the natural grace he possessed as a werewolf making it easy to maneuver around the drunken and grinding students that littered the dance floor.

"You're enjoying this." Sarah whispered, as she was pulled closer to the older man once more.

He smirked. His hand was splayed across the small of her back and he had to admit, he liked her being this close. "Perhaps."

She laughed lightly, her eyes wandering the party. She easily spotted Lydia- the strawberry blonde was pressed up against a wall, her legs wrapped tightly around her boyfriend looking thoroughly undignified as Jackson's hands roamed up and down her body. Danny was next, standing casually beside the drinks table chatting to a boy she didn't recognize. The brunette rolled her eyes as she glanced at the dazed expression her brother was sporting. Of course he'd like _her. _She deliberately looked away from her brother, turning her head to the sky. Sarah realized her mistake as her cobalt eyes caught sight of the full moon. Her whole body seized, causing Derek to growl as he too turned his gaze to the sky.

"I fucking _told _you." He ground out.

The older man tightened his grip on her waist and purposefully walked her to the door. Sarah lost sight of Scott in the crowd- she knew she shouldn't leave him alone, not tonight of all nights, but she could barely control herself. How was she supposed to help him too? Derek led her to the Camaro, opening the door swiftly and bodily picking her up and placing her in the seat. She'd regained feeling in her limbs, but with that feeling came the animalistic urge to hunt- to kill whatever she could sink her teeth into.

Her hands clenched, her fingernails elongating dangerously. "Lock me up!" She hissed, her eyes watering from the pain.

Derek nodded and didn't ask questions; instead he pressed his foot harder on the gas. "I know a place."

* * *

Stiles had watched in horror as his best friends scattered from the party like glass from a shattered windowpane. He'd watched as Derek led Sarah away barely ten minutes after her arrival, and was shocked to watch him offer Allison a lift home not half an hour later after Scott's apparent anxiety attack. The brunette pulled up to the McCall house, and cut off the engine of his precious blue jeep. His hands shook as he flicked through his key ring, glad for once that he'd gotten a key of Melissa all those years ago.

He took the stairs two at a time and narrowly avoided tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to Scott's bedroom. He banged on the door frantically. "Scott! It's me, let me in!" Stiles yelled through the door. "I can help!"

"No listen!" Scott groaned. "You've got to find Sare and Allison."

"Allison's fine she got a lift home from the party." Stiles swallowed nervously. "I don't know where Sare is- I lost track of her after-"

"Stiles! If I'm turning then so is Sarah! You need to find her! I know who did this to us!"

"Look, just let me in so we can talk!" The brown-eyed boy yelled.

Scott groaned in pain. "It's Derek! Derek Hale's the werewolf! He's the one that bit us. He's the one that killed the girl in the woods!"

"Scott." Stiles whispered as his blood turned to ice. "Derek's the one who gave them a ride." He jumped as he heard a dull thud from inside the room. "Scott?" He hesitantly pushed the door open. His eyes widened in horror as Scoot jumped off the window ledge. "Scott!" Stiles threw himself forward, arm out-stretched, hoping, and praying that he could catch Scott before he hit the ground. The brunette's eyes widened as he watched Scott land effortlessly on the ground, his hand splashing into the water beside him. Stiles shuddered as Scott stared back up to him, his golden eyes glinting in the full moon.

A howl ripped through the air causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. Everything had changed.

* * *

Scott tore through the forest, completely giving over to his instincts as he followed the familiar scent of his sister through the darkness. His eyes darkened in animalistic rage as he spotted a sleek black Camaro that was almost drowning in both the scent of his sister and his almost girlfriend, Allison. He jumped, landing on the roof with a clatter and growled when he found the shiny car empty. A fresh scent wafted towards him and he stiffened. _Sarah?_ He thought vaguely through his anger-induced haze. He leapt from the roof of the car and onto the ground, sending dried leaves in every direction as he followed the trail she'd left behind.

His eyes narrowed in anger as he spotted Sarah's blazer hanging inconspicuously from a tree, not fifty meters away. Scott growled as a new scent hit him like a freight train. "Hale." He spat. "Where are they!" The brunette yelled as the older man stepped out of the shadows, his azure eyes glowing as he stared at Scott.

"Safe." Derek responded loudly. Despite being older, stronger, faster and more experienced than the newborn Beta, Derek was still just that. A Beta. He was strong, yes, borne Werewolves naturally were, but he couldn't command Scott to do anything. He could help him, he could help them both, but he couldn't stop them. Not without the power of an Alpha.

"Where's my sister? Where's Allison!"

"Safe." The black-haired man smirked. "Far away from you."

Scott growled and lunged towards the older male- he was caught off guard however, when Derek did the same sending them tumbling backwards through the underbrush. The dark-haired man threw his full weight onto Scott as he caught the scents of multiple people. _Argent Hunters _he thought maliciously. "Quiet." He ordered, pulling Scott into a reluctant crouch as he did. Derek's azure eyes swept the darkened forest quickly and narrowed as he spotted the Hunter's dangerously close to their hiding spot. "Too late, they're already here! Run!"

The brunette stumbled as Derek pushed him out of the line of fire harshly, and into the darkness. Scott struggled to regain his footing and was sent reeling as an arrow, of all things, exploded into light as it hit the tree beside him. Blinded, he didn't expect the next arrow that shot straight through his shoulder, effectively pinning him to the tree behind him. Distantly he heard a muttered curse and rubbed his stinging eyes furiously with his uninjured arm as he heard the crunching of leaves.

"Take him." The voice was unfamiliar and had an edge of steel to it that made the sixteen-year-old nervous.

Scott blinked his eyes clearing momentarily, allowing him the clarity to see as the three men were thrown to the ground- giving Derek the precious time he needed to free the younger boy from the arrow. He ripped the arrow from Scott's arm without mercy, causing the shorter boy to groan in pain. "Run." Derek hissed and took off into the darkness- Scott followed without further prompting.

"Who, were they?" Scott demanded as Derek glided to a stop meters in front of him. The younger boy slumped against a tree, his energy spent and his arm burning.

"Hunters. They've been hunting _our_ kind for centuries." The now green-eyed man responded grimly.

"Our kind?" Scott yelped disbelievingly. "You mean you! You did this to me!"

"Is it really so bad Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most people would kill for! The bite is a gift." Derek lectured, his temper spiking at Scott's insolence.

"What about my sister? Huh? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing." He snapped. "Your sister came to me. Like it or not, I helped her, and I'll do the same for you if you would just let me help!"

"I didn't want this." Scott growled. "And I don't want your help."

"You will. You're going to need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me Scott?" Derek gestured between them, his face stony as he glared at the younger Beta. "We're brother's now."

* * *

Sarah awoke to the gentle clinking of chains as she unfurled herself from the uncomfortable position she'd found herself in. The smell of blood was rich in the air- over the course of the night she'd rubbed her wrists raw thanks to the steel shackles that bound her firmly to the wall.

"Are you okay?"

The brunette looked up. She hadn't even heard him come in but now found herself staring up into the surprisingly concerned green-eyes of Derek Hale. She nodded as he bent down to examine her wrists. His hands were surprisingly gentle as he released the bindings, letting them fall to the ground with a clatter.

"Laura was the same after her first few transformations." Derek spoke absently, grinning in remembrance. "She was a 'late bloomer', didn't turn until she was fourteen. She always insisted on being chained up. Said it made her feel safer, and the bloody wrists were the price to pay for having a shred of humanity." He stood up pulling her with him softly, a cool mask setting back over his features as he let her arms fall to her sides smoothly. "They'll heal within the next few hours."

"Thank you." Sarah whispered softly, refusing to comment on the information he'd just given her. Her mind however was spinning. _Who was Laura?_ She thought. _An old girlfriend? A sister? A friend? _"Does it go away?" Derek looked mildly perplexed at her question. "The urge to…" She trailed off, hoping he'd catch her meaning.

"Kill?" He finished, his eyes hard. "In a way it does. It's not hard to tap into but, eventually, you can control the more animalistic impulses."

Sarah swallowed thickly. "Will you help me to control it? The urges, the wolf, everything?" She realized exactly how desperate her voice had become and made no move to hide it- she needed his help. "Help me to control it."

The twenty-one year old stared at the brunette intensely. She and Scott may be twins, but unlike her brother, Sarah was unafraid to ask for help or accept it. It was disconcerting to realize exactly how much trust she'd placed in him already- more than anyone had placed in him in years. "You're not what I expected."

"I'm sorry?" The brunette asked confused. "What do you mean?"

Derek shook his head, not ready to explain the truckload of baggage that trailed behind him. "Never mind. C'mon, I'll give you a lift home."

The hilarity of the entire situation seemed to fall on her all at once, and couldn't stop the giggle that fell from her lips. His bemused expression just made her laugh harder, it was a somewhat odd expression on him, and she had to admit, it rather suited him.

"Care to enlighten me?" Derek asked befuddled.

"It's just," Sarah giggled again. "You've sort of become my personal chauffer."

He scowled minutely, before his face morphed into a smirk. "Well, in that case, you can start paying."

Sarah grinned, finally overcoming the giggles. "Whatever you say Mr. Hale."

* * *

The brunette trudged up stairs to her bedroom and collapsed, face first onto her bed, groaning in satisfaction as she felt the tension in her back decrease and her strained muscles relax. The wounds on her wrists had already begun to close over, although she would have to wear a long sleeved top for the rest of the day.

Her peace was interrupted suddenly, as her bedroom door was slammed open with enough force to dent the wall behind it. She glanced up tiredly- the aggravated expression her twin was currently sporting was enough for her to shut her eyes and determinedly bury her face in her pillow.

"What? So you can't even look at me now?" Scott demanded as he glared at his younger sister.

"Well," Sarah began, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I was hoping that if I wished hard enough and pretended that you weren't in my room, disturbing my attempts to sleep, that you'd eventually leave me alone."

He swallowed a growl. "I don't think so! Where were you last night? Huh? I was so worried!"

"You're my brother, not my keeper Scott."

Scott strode towards his sister, the glare still firmly in place and jumped onto the bed, bouncing on the mattress. Sarah groaned and swatted his legs tiredly before rolling over to face him when she realized that her attempts were futile.

"What?" She groaned, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that streamed through her window.

He smirked and plopped down beside her, happy that he'd gotten her full attention. She was obviously tired, worn out from the night they'd had he supposed. His eyes wandered her body, searching for injuries. He growled as he spotted her red raw wrists.

"What are these?" Scott demanded as he examined her wrists gingerly.

Sarah shrugged. "Wrists?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

She sighed. "I was chained to a wall. Apparently this is what happens when you fight against shackles all night."

"He chained you up?" Scott asked dangerously.

"Yes, because I asked him to."

The older brunette growled. "You shouldn't trust him."

"Who I trust is none of your business. You're not my keeper."

Scott laughed harshly. "You know, you keep saying that, but at least I give a fuck about you."

"Fuck off Scott." Sarah snapped, finally at the end of her patience with her brother. Scott growled and stood up.

"I'm just trying to help!"

Sarah flipped him off and pulled the bed covers around her. "Well you're doing a great job of that now aren't you?" She sighed wearily and flopped back against her pillows. "Just leave me alone Scott."

"Fine!"

"And shut the door behind-" The door slammed hard enough to rattle the doorframe. "You." She finished with a huff. Things were changing- between her and Scott especially. There hadn't been this much tension between them in years. _Yes,_ she thought wryly as she shut her eyes. _Things were definitely changing. _She'd just have to wait to see if those changes would be for the better.

* * *

**AN: Please Review and let me know what you think! **


	2. Second Chance At First Line

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed both this version of Addicted and the old one- I'm not going to apologize for how long this chapter has taken, reality is a little hard to bare at the moment and it's hard to write anything that doesn't end with me killing everyone off. So to everyone who has stuck with me I have to say a massive thank you. This will be slow going, but I hope you believe it's worth it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf, that honor belongs to Jeff Davis. However, Sarah belongs to me.**

* * *

**Addicted**

**Chapter Two**

**Second Chance at First Line**

* * *

_Previously:_

_"Fuck off Scott." Sarah snapped, finally at the end of her patience with her brother. Scott growled and stood up._

_"I'm just trying to help!"_

_Sarah flipped him off and pulled the bed covers around her. "Well you're doing a great job of that now aren't you?" She sighed wearily and flopped back against her pillows. "Just leave me alone Scott."_

_"Fine!"_

_"And shut the door behind-" The door slammed hard enough to rattle the doorframe. "You." She finished with a huff. Things were changing- between her and Scott especially. There hadn't been this much tension between them in years. Yes, she thought wryly as she shut her eyes. Things were definitely changing. She'd just have to wait to see if those changes would be for the better._

* * *

Stiles sighed wearily and rubbed his eyes as he flopped down on a bench in the Lacrosse locker room. He'd had an _interesting _morning to say the least- and that was without mentioning his beyond awful weekend. With less than three hours sleep over the course of the weekend the sixteen-year old was running on fumes- and a few more tablets of Adderall than the prescribed dosage. He'd spent most of the previous night in the Jeep searching everywhere he could think of for his two best friends who'd recently come into their- umm- powers? He'd gotten a single text from Sarah close to one am saying that she was fine- but that didn't stop him worrying. He'd eventually found Scott however.

He'd turned up at the McCall house early that morning, only to walk in on the end of an argument between his two, apparently furious, best friends. Stiles rolled his shoulders back and scowled. He'd never seen an argument that big between them. They were weird in that regard- the McCall twins _never _fought. So to see an argument between them… it was shocking to say the least. He had pulled the entire story out of Sarah in the Jeep and he honestly hadn't known how to react at all.

The lanky teen stood up, shrugged off his jacket and swiftly pulled his shirt over his head, shoving it into his locker. He rested his head on the cool metal and sighed. Things were changing. The sound of a bag dropping to the ground beside him caused him to turn around- coming face to face with his somewhat dazed best friend. Stiles slowly waved his hand in front of Scott's eyes and scowled when the brunet didn't respond.

"Scott!" He called loudly.

"Huh?"

"So which one did you apologize to? Your sister or your girlfriend?"

"Allison."

Stiles scowled. _Yes, _he thought _because Allison was the one he really needed to apologize to. _"So is she giving you a second chance?"

"Yeah." Scott grinned.

"Alright." Stiles muttered. "So everything is almost good."

"No."

"Well obviously. You haven't apologized to Sare yet an-"

"No." Scott mumbled again. _He_ wasn't going to be the first to apologize. "Remember the hunters?"

"No." Stiles started sarcastically. "Why on earth would I remember the hunters that are trying to murder my best friends? Why would I remember that?

"Her Dad is one of them."

"Her Dad?"

"Shot me." Stiles tried to process what Scott was telling him.

"Allison's Father?"

"With a crossbow." Scott's voice cracked.

Stiles opened his mouth. "Allison's Fat-"

"Yes her Father!" The brunet yelled, started to hyperventilate. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm gonna die-"

Stiles' eyes widened and with as much force as he could muster, slapped the brunette across the face. "Scott! Snap out of it! He- He didn't recognize you right?"

"No, no I don't think so."

He sighed. "Does she know about him?"

"I don't know." Scott's eyes widened dramatically. "Oh man. She's gonna kill me.

Stiles picked up Scott's Lacrosse gear and shoved it towards him. "Here take this, just focus on Lacrosse for now. Yeah?" Scott mumbled his agreement and Stiles' slapped his shoulder good-naturedly. The last thing they needed right now was for Scott to loose control. They reached the field just in time for them to hear coach Finstock announce that it was time for one-on-ones. Which meant Jackson with an extra long Lacrosse racket beating up anyone who tried to get past him. What a fabulous way to start a new school week.

* * *

"Greenburg! Take a lap!"

Sarah smothered a snicker as she took a seat on the steel-cold benches that overlooked the Lacrosse Field. It was a habit she'd gotten into during her freshman year- whenever she had a free-period she'd go out on to the Lacrosse Field and study or if the team was practicing, she'd pretend to study and check them out over the top of her book. Despite the distractions the attractive Lacrosse players were, spending her time on the bleachers was much easier than spending her frees dealing with the obviously menopausal librarian. Lydia grinned as she took a seat beside her. They'd all elected to have their frees on the same line, which meant even if the player's weren't distraction- her two best girl friends were. The blue-eyed girl pulled out her phone as it vibrated and grinned at the name that flashed on the screen.

_'So, it's my last day in Australia and all we're doing is climbing a metal bridge. Oh the joy'_

She giggled and took a snap-shot of the boys on the field- _'You're missing out Eri!'_

Lydia glanced down at the phone and giggled at the text. "When does she get home?"

Sarah shrugged and winced slightly as Jackson flattened Scott easily showing off his smooth prowess for the game. "It's her last day today, so it shouldn't be too long."

Her phone vibrated again and a picture of a tanned Erica and a shaggy blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy with his top off, his arm around her waist and a surfboard tucked under his other arm popped up. Lydia smirked. "I hate to say it Sare, but we're definitely missing out on this one."

Sarah laughed and nodded. '_Okay Eri, you win. See you soon!'_

"McCall's gonna do it again. McCall's gonna do it again!"

She had so much to tell her best friend. But the real question was would she be able to the blonde the truth about what had happened. Stiles knew, but that was different, he- no. She wouldn't compare them, and she'd never kept a single secret from Erica. It was just the way they were. No secrets, no lies.

Her gaze turned back to the field. She so wasn't sure about Scott playing Lacrosse anymore. Sarah knew just how dangerous the both of them had become and the fact that neither of them had any semblance of control yet just made it that much more dangerous. Stiles stared up at her and she recognized the worried expression on his face- she was sure it was mirrored on her own.

"What the hell?" Lydia yelped jumping to her feet.

"Huh?" Sarah turned her eyes back to the field. Jackson was on the ground, clutching his shoulder and groaning- while Scott was not far from him, collapsed on the ground. "Oh fuck." She muttered and followed the frantic Lydia onto the grass.

She reached her brother just after Stiles. "C'mon Scott get up." She growled. "I swear to god if you don't get up- Scott get up!"

"I can't control it Stiles, its happening!" The brunette almost dropped her brother. _Of course he'd ignore her help_ she thought angrily _she hadn't apologized._

"What?" Stiles yelped. "Right here? Now?" He shot Sarah and apologetic glance and pulled Scott off the ground with strength she didn't know the lanky boy possessed. "Can you make sure no one saw?" He whispered.

She shot her brother a death glare before responding to Stiles. "Sure." The brown-haired girl rubbed her shoulder absently and quickly walked towards Lydia. "Is he okay Lyds?"

"No!" The strawberry blonde scowled. "Your psycho brother attacked him! He's completely ruined his shoulder!"

Sarah glanced at the boy on the ground. _It couldn't have happened to anyone better. _She thought sarcastically. "Scott's a little _weird_ at the moment. He uh-" The brunette stopped as her eyes were drawn to a somewhat imposing figure standing on the edge of the Lacrosse field.

"Sare?"

"Huh?" Lydia drew her attention once more. "Um, I've gotta go- talk later yeah? Tell me how Jackson pulls up!" She called over her shoulder. She grabbed her messenger bag off the bleachers and slung it over her shoulder, as she walked towards him. "Derek? What are you-" She shook her head. "You saw."

"He lost control."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We have no control to lose Derek. He's just in a situation where he's more liable to lose control."

Derek stared at her for a moment before he replied. "If he keeps going he's going to get us all killed."

"Excuse me?"

"Scott didn't tell you." He muttered.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Scott didn't tell me what?" She asked dangerously.

He scowled. "We were attacked by Hunters on the full moon."

"You've got to be kidding. No." She shook her head. "No way."

Derek clenched his fists in his pockets. Sarah was Scott's sister- why hadn't he told her about a credible threat to both their lives? Did he really have that little regard for her safety? "Yes. Most operate under a strict moral code- but where there are werewolves, there are Hunters. They've been killing our kind for centuries."

Sarah clutched at her now queasy stomach. "Holy shit. Holy _shit." _She muttered. "He's playing on Saturday night damn it! Half the town is coming. Half the fucking town! There's going to be Hunters in the stands. Holy shit." She gasped, fighting for air. "I can't breathe. I can't breathe!"

"Hey. Hey!" Derek grabbed her tightly, swiftly pulled her upright and away from the prying eyes on the field. "Hey McCall! McCall! Sarah! Hey look at me. Look at me!" He cupped either side of her face and forced her to look him in the eye. "Hey, hey. Look at me." He ordered softly. "You need to breathe okay. Breathe."

The brunette's breathing slowed and she sighed- partly in relief and partly because she realized the position she'd found herself in. She pulled away awkwardly. Of all the people she could have had a panic attack in front of it was _him_. Why did it have to be him? She hadn't had a panic attack since she was twelve- why couldn't it have happened when she was with Stiles! At least he wouldn't have pity in his eyes!

"I've um- I've got to- um- go. I've got to go." She shook her head and took a few hurried steps back. "Brother's to maim and all that."

Derek shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at her retreating figure. What the hell had just happened? She'd had a panic attack. Her having a panic attack was the _last_ thing he expected. Although, him being able to pull her out of it was also pretty high up there on his list of things he didn't expect.

Sarah glanced back at him over her shoulder- it was a sign of how much things had changed in a short time that she wasn't even slightly surprised that he was gone, with no evidence he'd been there at all.

* * *

"Hey kiddo, late shift again for me. But, I am taking Saturday off to come watch your first game!"

It was such an odd thing to realize that no conversation in their house would ever be private again. A prime example, Sarah noted, was the conversation occurring between her brother and Mum, in Scott's room. Even though she was downstairs she could hear the conversation as though it was happening right beside her.

She sighed, her slim fingers hovering over the ivory keys of the dark wood piano in front of her. She'd been sitting in front of the instrument for almost half an hour and still hadn't actually touched the keys. Everything she had tried playing turned out rather melancholy and confused- reflecting her current mood she supposed.

"No, mum you can't."

"Oh yes I can. And I will. C'mon, one shift isn't gonna break us. Not completely." Sarah could almost hear her mum frowning. "Hey what's wrong with your eyes? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Oh ah, its nothing, just stress I guess."

"Just stress. Nothing else? I mean it's not like you're on drugs or anything right?"

"Right now?"

"Right now?" Sarah cringed as she heard her mother's voice rise. "I'm sorry. What do you mean right now? Have you ever taken drugs?"

"Have you?"

Sarah almost snorted at the question. Scott sure knew how to get out of an argument.

"Get some sleep."

The brunette pushed herself away from the Piano bench and started up the stairs. She met her Mum half way up, and was immediately pulled into a tight hug. "Hey baby girl. I'm on-"

"Late shift again, I know." Sarah sighed.

"Not long now kiddo, only a few more months of the graveyard shifts and I'll be a fully qualified Registered Nurse." Melissa smiled and pulled her daughter down to sit on the stairs. She pushed a strand of hair behind Sarah's ear and kissed her forehead. "You can't stay mad at your brother forever sweetheart."

Sarah scowled. "Want to bet?"

Melissa laughed and hugged her daughter around the shoulder. "I have no doubt that you'll try, but eventually one of you will have to apologize before this gets out of hand."

"Mum."

"No." She held up a hand. "Apologize to your brother. Even if he's the one who should be apologizing."

"Yeah, yeah." Sarah conceded. "Love you Mumma."

"I love you too baby cakes. Now get some sleep. At least one of my children should keep an A average." Melissa smirked and stood up, grabbing her handbag she headed for the door. "Don't burn down the house while I'm at work!" She called over her shoulder.

Sarah stared at the front door her mum had left through, attempting to process what she'd said. Should she apologize to Scott, if only to end their ongoing argument? She shook her head and turned around, continuing her trek up the stairs. She stopped in front of her brother's room and took a deep breath. The brunette pushed the door open and leant against the doorframe. However at the sight of her slightly older brother lounging on his bed without a care- any apology she'd come up with went flying out the window and all she could think of was the _Hunters _that were after them.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"What?" Scott asked from his bed.

She scowled. "About the Hunters Scott. You didn't think that as a werewolf I would also need to know? Or were you just going to wait until I had a bullet in my chest and a knife in my neck?"

Scott had sat up, guilt clear on his face half way through her sentence. "Sare-"

"Don't 'Sare' me Scott! How could you not fucking tell me! Huh? Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah growled, her blue eyes flashing.

"I was going to tell you-"

"But you didn't!" She cried. "Were you really so angry with me that you wouldn't tell me that my life was in danger?"

"It slipped my mind." Scott mumbled.

"Slipped your mind?" She snarled. "How could something that huge slip your fucking mind Scott? I know you're dumb but I didn't think you were stupid!"

Scott growled at her. "When did you become such a bitch?"

"The same time you started lying to me." Sarah scowled. "I had to find out from Derek, Scott. Derek! And you know what happened when he told me? I had a panic attack!"

"Jesus Sarah." He groaned. "What were you doing talking to Derek? He's dangerous!"

"That's all you got out of that? That I talked to Derek?"

"Stay away from him Sare." Scott grabbed her arms tightly. "You need to stay away from him."

The brunette glared at her brother. "Let go Scott."

"Promise me!"

Sarah shoved the slightly taller boy back, forcing him to let go of her. "No."

She sighed as Scott's laptop started ringing cutting off any reply her brother might have had. Scott turned his back on her and answered the video chat from Stiles.

"_Hola mis amigos."_ Stiles smiled.

"I'm gonna go." Sarah whispered, knowing full well that Scott would hear her.

"Fine."

"_Where's she going?"_

Sarah stalked out of the room and into her own, throwing herself face-first onto her bed and screamed into the mattress as loud as she could. Why had she done that? Instead of apologizing, she'd bit his head off. _Way to go Sarah, _she thought _real nicely done._

Rolling over, she sat up and grabbed a fresh set of underwear from her chest of draws. She dumped the change of clothes on the vanity in her en suite bathroom, stripped off the old clothes she had on and stepped under the hot water. Shutting her eyes tightly she sighed, feeling her tense muscles relax under the soothing spray of water. The brunette gritted her teeth and focused on the sound of the water- attempting to block out the constant hum of voices. Her breathing slowed and all of a sudden all she could hear was the sound of the water hitting her body.

A loud bang caused her focus to slip momentarily. She rolled her shoulders back and rested her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower, letting the hot liquid run down her back. Her thoughts turned back to the argument she'd had with Scott. They never fought. Sure, they'd have their little disagreements but nothing as bad as what had been happening lately. They'd always presented a united front, especially since their Father left.

She shut off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapping it tightly around her body. Wiping the condensation off the mirror she stared into it, searching for any outward differences. At first glance, she still looked exactly the same as she had two weeks ago although she knew that if she looked closer she'd see the subtle differences. Sarah could see the slight toning of her body, her arms and stomach in particular- the way her blue eyes had darkened- and those were just the obvious (at least to her) ones. She shook her head and dried off, slipping into her underwear. Opening her en suite door she walked back into her bedroom, attempting to dry her hair as she did.

"What the hell?" She yelped, spotting a tall figure in the corner of her room. She attempted to cover up her practically naked body with the towel as he immediately turned his back to her.

"I'm sorry- I didn't realize you'd be- uh-"

Sarah quickly grabbed a pair of long pajama bottoms and a long sleeved top and pulled them on. "It's fine. You can turn around now. I promise I'm fully clothed." Derek turned around and leant against the wall, choosing to ignore her last comment. He looked her up and down speculatively- he'd just seen a hell of a lot more than he ever expected he'd see of her- and he couldn't deny that she was- well- hot. He shook his head. Not only was there a five-year age gap but, she was only sixteen! Which meant it was beyond illegal. "Um- can I ask why you're- uh- here?" She gestured to her room as she pulled her hair up.

"I needed to _talk_ with your brother."

She grinned. "I take it that bang was you then."

Derek smirked. "More your brother than me."

Sarah sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her legs up to her chest. "So why are you in my room?" She paused and looked at her open door. "Wait- can you tell if Scott's listening?"

"He's asleep."

She nodded. "So…"

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I wanted to see if you were okay." He stepped forward. "You know, after today."

"I'm fine."

"Do they happen often?"

Sarah looked up at him. "The panic attacks? No." She shook her head. "At least, not anymore."

"Anymore?" Derek asked slowly.

She patted the bed beside her. He sat beside her smoothly. "I got them a lot as a kid. My Mum kicked my Dad to the curb when Scott and I were three. He was a drunk." She grimaced. "He was never violent but he _was_ neglectful- he left me in a car by myself while he went to get a quick drink- except he drank himself into a stupor and I was found fourteen hours later by Stiles' Dad." She stared down at her hands. "Mum called the police after he didn't bring me home- I was only supposed to be gone for an hour."

"How old were you?" He whispered. He'd never been able to understand how someone could be so cruel to someone they considered family. But, he supposed, he'd never truly known what a _normal_ family was like- he'd grown up in a _pack._

"I was seven. He um- he never really wanted a daughter."

Derek gently took his hand in hers and squeezed it. He honestly didn't know what he could say to her that would make her feel any better… he wasn't good at comforting people. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be." She inhaled quickly. "I can't believe I told you that."

"But I'm glad you did."

Sarah sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. For listening."

Derek hesitantly wrapped his arm around her as they lay back on the bed. "You're welcome." He whispered. He knew he was stepping into dangerous territory with the younger girl. Not only because it was borderline illegal- but because of what happened the last time he fell in love with someone. He supposed that with Sarah being a wolf would make it easier but on the other hand explaining to a judge that sleeping with an underage girl was fine simply because she was also a _werewolf- _well, he'd be pretty much guaranteeing a one-way ticket to a padded room and an uncomfortable white jacket.

He sighed and glanced at the brunette beside him. A part of him wasn't surprised to find her fast asleep- although the other half of him was wondering how she was just so _comfortable _with him. People tended to cross to the other side of the street when they saw him walking towards him and yet here she was, after only knowing him for less than a week, practically asleep in his arms. It was surreal and he couldn't quite decide if she was brave or stupid.

* * *

When she awoke the next morning it took a few minutes for her to realize why she was so cold. A hand covered her mouth when she finally figured out that she'd fallen asleep in the arms of a man who was not only five years her senior, but a veritable stranger.

Arriving at school, she cursed, not for the first time in her life, that she and Scott shared the majority of their classes. She'd successfully avoided him all morning- the last thing she needed was her brother questioning why Derek's scent was all over her. She rubbed her eyes as she sat in her assigned seat in the Mathematics classroom. Math was by far her worst class, and watching her brother (who wasn't that much better at Math than she was) attempt to solve a problem on the board at the same time as Lydia made her want to cringe.

The conversations around her switched between the same three topics: the upcoming Lacrosse game, Jackson's 'injury' and the still unidentified body in the woods. She soon found herself with a fourth option as Lydia turned to Scott.

"Why's there a rumor going around that you're not playing tomorrow?" The strawberry blonde asked cattily.

Scott shrugged. "Cause I'm sort of not."

Sarah's eyes glared holes in her brother's unprotected back. What the hell did he mean by _sort of?_

"I think you sort of are, especially when you brutally injured my boyfriend by ramming into him." Lydia snapped.

The brunette scowled at her friend's back. She loved the girl- but right now she wanted nothing more than to drag her from the room and chuck her down the nearest available fight of stairs.

"Your boyfriend brutally injured himself by ramming into me." Her brother grumbled.

"Jackson's gonna play tomorrow. But he's not going to be at his peak. And I prefer my boyfriend, at peak performance."

"Okay?" Scott shrugged, not at all regretful of Jackson's injured shoulder.

"I date the captain of the winning Lacrosse team and if they start off the season losing, I'm dating the captain of the losing Lacrosse team. I don't date losers." Lydia growled.

Sarah smothered a laugh- that was just typical Lydia reasoning, and as annoyed as she was at the girl, she couldn't deny that she found it funny.

"Losing one game isn't going to kill anyone. In fact it might even save someone." Scott mumbled.

She shut her eyes and internally sighed in relief. They may not be getting along at the moment, but finally. Scott was getting it.

"Fine! Don't play. We'll probably win anyway, then we'll go out after, like we were planning and I'll introduce Allison to all the hot players on the team."

The pencil she was holding snapped loudly in her hand. Every person in the room had turned to stare at her- some in amusement, others, in shock. The idea of throwing Lydia down the nearest flight of stairs was looking better with every passing second. There was no way her idiot brother wouldn't play the game- especially since Lydia had brought Allison into the argument. She dropped the pieces of broken pencil onto the desk and stood up anger pulsing through her veins.

"May I be excused?" She asked through clenched teeth.

Mr. Andrews nodded nervously as Sarah picked up her bag, flung it over her shoulder, and grabbed her books before racing for the door. Entering the nearest bathroom she dropped her stuff, not at all caring as it scattered across the floor. She grasped either side of the closest sink as she tried to calm herself down- she glared up at the mirror watching as her eyes flickered dangerously between gold and her normal blue. She cringed as she felt rather than heard the porcelain sink warp under her death-like grip.

Sarah frantically struggled to fight the shift- she could feel her flingers elongating into claws and her canines grow. She growled at the pain of the shift and abruptly let go of the sink- collapsing to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut. She clenched her hands into fists and hissed as the claws she'd just grown pierced the skin on her palms. Blood seeped from the wounds- with a muffled curse she awkwardly held her hands over the skin from her position on the ground. Because blood stains on the floor of a high school bathroom wasn't suspicious at all.

The pain in her hands caused her to abruptly shift back. She breathed a sigh of relief and gingerly got to her feet. There was a lot more blood than she'd expected in the basin, so she hurriedly turned the tap on, hoping no one would decide that now was the perfect time to use the bathroom. As the last drop of crimson was washed away she stared down at her rapidly healing hands.

Sarah shuddered. She wasn't kidding herself. She knew that the only reason she'd turned back was because of the pain- not because she had any semblance of control and that terrified her. She was seconds away from shifting in _class _because of a person who was her _friend_. What would she do in front of someone she perceived as a threat? That was another thing- she didn't have any idea who any of the Hunters were and she doubted they'd be running around with a neon sign proclaiming 'I'm a Hunter!' over their heads. So by that logic _everyone_ was a threat.

That Lydia had threatened Scott with losing Allison just made the situation so much worse. She may not like the girl her brother was obviously falling for, but Scott was all for risking _his_ life if it meant getting the girl. What he refused to think about was what would happen to anyone else who'd been bitten (or borne for that matter) if _he_ was caught.

The shrill ring of the bell signaling the end of class disrupted her thought process. She needed to find her brother- she needed to convince him that playing on Saturday wasn't, in any way, an option. Sarah picked her stuff off the floor and headed towards Scott's locker. She was half way there when she spotted her partners in crime peaking around a corner at the bottom of a stair well.

Even at a distance she could hear Stiles' demanding voice clearly. "Tell me what they're saying. Can you hear them?"

"Shh." Scott hissed. "There's a curfew because of the body."

"Unbelievable." Stiles huffed. "My Dad's out looking for some rabid animal, while the jerk off who actually killed the girl is just hanging out doing whatever he wants."

Sarah scowled as she realized whom the two boys were whispering about. The man she was talking to last night, the one who had locked her up on the full moon so that she wouldn't attack anyone couldn't have killed the girl in the woods. It just wasn't _plausible. _

_Are you sure?_ Her mind whispered._ You don't even know him._

"Well you can't exactly tell your Dad the truth about Derek." Scott reasoned.

"I can do something." Stiles shot back.

Sarah swiftly walked up behind them. "Like what?" She demanded coldly.

"Nothing!" Stiles yelped. "Nothing at all _mi Hermana. _Hey." He lowered his volume. "Are you alright? Scott said you walked out of Math? You didn't shift did you?"

The brunette glared at her twin and shoved her hands deeper into her jacket pockets. "I'm fine. You should ask Scott why I left though- he should have a pretty good idea."

"I'm not going to play the game on Saturday if that's what you're implying." Scott muttered grumpily.

"Oh yeah?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "And how long is that resolve gonna last when Lydia starts introducing Allison to the rest of the single Lacrosse players? Huh? What are you going to do then?"

"Sare." Scott gripped her shoulders. "I can control this. One game won't hurt any-"

"You don't know that!"

"Sarah-"

"Shut up Stiles!" The brunette whirled on her friend. "Him playing won't effect you in the slightest so back off!"

"Why are you being so selfish?" Scott growled, ignoring the slightly hurt expression on Stiles' face.

"I'm being selfish?" Sarah laughed. "Yes because I'm the one playing around with both of our lives!" She gripped his elbow tightly and dragged him into the nearest classroom. Slamming the door behind her she let her brother go. "Scott, we don't even know who they are. The Hunters-" She sighed. "They could be anyone."

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. He knew _exactly_ who the Hunter's were. He knew exactly whom he had to avoid, to stay alive. But did he want to? The reasonable part of his mind screamed at him that he was being foolish- that he was walking a thin line that could snap at any moment- but he refused to give up on Allison, simply because of who her family was. It wasn't right. He was being selfish, he knew that, but Sarah- she could look after herself. She was strong. No matter what happened to him, she could survive. She would survive.

"You know who they are." Sarah breathed.

His guilty expression said everything she needed to know.

"Why didn't you tell me? Since when have we ever kept things from each other Scott? When did that become a thing that we did? Huh? When!" She yelled, hysteria and bitterness leaching into her voice.

"Sarah please…"

"Tell me who they are!" Sarah demanded, stepping forward she gabbed the front of Scott's shirt in a death grip. "Tell me Scott! Who are they?"

Scott shut his eyes. She was going to hate him. "The Argents." Sarah sucked in a startled gasp and dropped her grip. "The Hunter's are led by Allison's father."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Sarah yelled. "She's the daughter of a _Hunter! _She was borne into a family that have been killing our kind for centuries- a family that now has us in their sights- and you're still seeing her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me Sarah! Jesus! She's different-"

"Does she know?" The smaller brunette asked. "Does she know what we are? Huh?"

Scott shook his head.

"What do you think she'd do if you told her? I sure as hell doubt she'll smile and tell you she loves you! She'll run screaming to Daddy and he'll blow our fucking heads off! And if he doesn't then she sure as hell will!"

"You don't know that!" Scott snapped.

"Fine! Do whatever the fuck you want Scott! But when the rest of us are lying dead at your feet, remember what I told you."

The blue-eyed girl turned on her heel, wrenched the door open and stormed out into the crowded hallway, knocking an eavesdropping Stiles off his feet as he listened at the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Scott yelled after her.

"None of your fucking business Scott!"

Scott sighed as held a hand out to his friend on the floor, Stiles grasped the offered hand tightly and tumbled as Scott pulled him off the floor with a bit more force than was necessary.

"She doesn't know about Derek does she?" Stiles muttered as he shouldered his backpack. "Cause I swear putting that bastard behind bars would solve a hell of a lot of problems."

Scott sighed. "It won't solve this one." Why was it that every time he and his sister were alone together these days, their conversations turned to full blown arguments. "I should have told her."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Well you didn't and you fucked up. Okay? You fucked up."

"What's happening Stiles?" He mumbled.

The brown-eyed boy sighed. "All I have is a guess." Scott nodded for him to continue. "Well, since you were turned into wolves everything is heightened right? Your eyesight, your sense of smell, your hearing?" The brunet nodded again, understanding what Stiles had said so far. "What if your emotions were too? It'd explain why you're both so," he paused, searching for the right word, "volatile I guess. And, it'd explain why your feelings for Allison have gotten so strong so fast."

"Are you saying that my feelings for her aren't real?"

"No. No." Stiles shook his head. "They're real enough. But while most crushes take time to develop, yours hit you like a ton of bricks. I'm guessing that right now, Allison is the only girl in the world." He sighed, and wondered if he should even dare adding the next bit. "Even to the point where if you had to choose between Allison and Sare- you'd choose Allison."

* * *

Scott barely paid an attention in his next three classes. Stiles' frank words kept echoing through his mind. At first he'd completely dismissed it out of hand. There was no way he'd ever choose some _girl _over his sister. His twin! One of the two people in his life that had always, and would always be there for him, no matter what had happened. But the more he thought about it the more he realized that Stiles was right.

He had chosen Allison. By choosing to play the game on Saturday night, he'd chosen Allison. He inconspicuously hit his head on the table. He hadn't even realized. The fact that he's chosen to play, ignoring both the protests of Derek Hale and Sarah made him want to cringe. Why had he done that?

_Because if you don't you lose Allison _a voice in the back of his head whispered.

Scott sighed. It was a lose/lose situation. If he didn't play he'd lose Allison. If he did play he'd lose Sarah.

_Only if you shift, _the voice whispered again,_ only if you lose control._

By the time the bell rang signaling the end of the day he'd made his decision. He was going to play. No matter what she said, no matter how angry she got, Sarah would always be in his life. Eventually she'd forgive him. She'd have to. Right?

"Scott?"

The brunet jumped and realized that he had literally walked into one of the two girls that had been occupying his head. "Allison. Hey!" Over her shoulder Scott saw a smirking Lydia pulling away one of the boys on the Lacrosse team. "So Lydia's introducing you to everyone?"

"She's being so unbelievably nice to me." Allison grinned.

"Why?"

"Maybe she get's how much being the new girl sucks?" Allison shrugged, playing with the blazer in her arms. "Are you okay? I heard what happened with your sister."

Scott glanced at the floor. He had no doubt that the whole school had heard about the fight between the McCall twins. "It's fine." He whispered. "It wasn't important."

"It looked pretty important." She hedged.

"It was nothing. Drop it." Scott frowned as he noticed the jacket in her arms. How the hell had she gotten that? "Where did you get that?"

"My jacket?" Allison asked raising an eyebrow. She recognized the obvious change of subject- if he didn't want to talk about it that was fine with her, especially since her opinions of his sister were rather _low._ "It was in my locker. I think Lydia brought it back from the party. She knows the combination."

"Did she say she brought it back or did somebody give her the jacket?" Scott demanded. The only person who could have gotten that jacket was Derek. That bastard had been in the school stalking Allison! Suddenly, putting Derek behind bars seemed like a brilliant idea.

"Like who?" She questioned.

"Like Derek?" Scott demanded.

Allison frowned. "Your sister's friend? The one who gave me a lift home when you ditched me the other night?"

Scott cringed at the reminder. "They're not friends!" He sighed, noticing how harsh he sounded. "Yeah, that one."

The pale-girl stared at the brunet for a moment. "You didn't see them at the party did you?" She smirked. "They seemed a lot closer than _friends._ I highly doubt she ever gets that close to Stiles."

Scott's jaw dropped. "You're joking right." She shook her head. "Tell me you're joking Allison!" He pleaded.

"Scott what's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong damn it. How much did you talk to him when he drove you home?" Scott demanded once more.

"I didn't." Allison's eyes narrowed. "He seemed pretty preoccupied to be honest."

"What did you say?" Scott pressed.

The bell rang causing Allison to curse. "I've gotta go." She kissed his cheek. "We'll talk later yeah?" She yelled over her shoulder.

Scott scowled. Derek Hale was going down.

* * *

A loud knocking jarred Derek from his slumber. He'd been staying in one of the only rooms of the old house that hadn't been touched by the fire that had destroyed his life- the room that used to belong to his younger sister. Glancing out the window he spotted a familiar slim figure at the door. _What the hell is she doing here?_ He thought. Pulling on a shirt he swiftly made his way down the rickety stairs and opened the door to the somewhat shocked face of Sarah McCall.

"You knocked?" He leant against the door, blocking her entrance to the house.

"Did you kill her?" Sarah asked, refusing to let her voice shake- her false bravado faltered on the next sentence however as her eyes narrowed at the storm of emotions that crossed his face. "The girl in the woods, did you kill her?"

Derek sighed and stepped aside. "You better come in."

"So you can kill me too?" The brunette snapped. She'd trusted him! Was it possible that she could have been that wrong about a person?

He scowled. "No. So I can tell you the truth." He shook his head. "You know what. If you want answers I'll be upstairs. Come find me when you've stopped being stupid."

The raven-haired-man turned on his heel, stalked back up the stairs and into Cora's room. He didn't know why he cared so much about the younger girl's opinion- he barely knew her! He lay back on the mattress and rested his arm over his eyes. He was so messed up. So, so messed up. A hesitant knock on the doorframe caused him to look up.

"I didn't kill her."

Sarah nodded as she stopped in the doorway. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her and before she knew it her feet had led her upstairs. "But you knew who she was."

"I did." He pulled a photo from his wallet and placed it on the mattress beside him. "That was taken seven years ago."

The blue-eyed girl tentatively stepped forward and picked up the worn photo. She sat on the edge of the low mattress and studied the faces in the picture. Derek was obvious, especially so, as he was the only boy in the photo. The raven-hair and green eyes seemed to be a family trait as both the little girl on his shoulders, and the laughing girl at his side had hair and eyes that matched his. Even at fifteen Derek was obviously attractive- and the girls that she assumed were his sisters' could make any runway model green with envy. Another man- probably in his early twenties if she guessed right- rested his arm on the laughing girl's shoulder, a smirk on his face.

"They're your siblings."

He sat up and nodded. Leaning over he pointed to the little girl on his shoulders. "This is Cora. She was nine." He took a deep breath. "This is Peter."

"Brother?"

Derek shook his head, "Uncle. He's been in a coma since the fire." He smiled sadly. "And this is Laura. She uh- we were at School when the fire- we were the only one's left. Laura and I, we looked after each other. She's-" He swallowed tightly and whispered his next sentence. "She was the girl in the woods."

Sarah ducked her head. She couldn't have been more wrong! Guilt flooded her body. She'd accused him of killing his sister. His _sister._ "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." He clenched his fists. "All this- the fire, Laura's death- it was my fault. I was young and stupid. I got involved in things- with people- that I shouldn't have and I caused this."

"Just because you blame yourself for their deaths', does not make you responsible." She whispered.

"And what would you call sleeping with the woman responsible?" Derek snapped. The words slipped out before he could stop them, but there was no turning back now. "What would you call telling a person _everything_ about your family, right down to the deepest, darkest secrets that should have stayed hidden? I think I'd call that _responsible_."

"You loved her. The woman. You loved her. And because you loved her, you trusted her." Sarah whispered, taking his hand. The fact that he believed, so deeply, that he had killed his own family, made her want to both hug him and hit him at the same time. "She abused the trust you placed in her. That doesn't make you responsible- it just makes you human."

"Human." Derek muttered. "Now, that's a joke if I've ever heard one."

"Do you-" She bit her lip, searching for the right words. "Do you know who killed Laura?"

"All I know is that she was lured back here and turned up dead three days later. The only thing that makes sense is that the _thing_ that killed her was the same monster that turned you and your brother."

"How do you-"

He sighed. "Laura was an Alpha- a power that she'd inherited when our mother died. The werewolf line in Beacon Hills ended with us but even then Beacon Hills would remain Hale territory. If Laura had bitten you I would have known. I would have felt the addition to our pack- and I didn't. All I felt was loss and a shift of power."

"So not everyone is an Alpha? It's either inherited or _taken?_"

Derek nodded. "At the moment you and I are what's called Omegas. We don't have a pack- and to be perfectly honest that is a dangerous position to be in. I'm an Omega because my Alpha was killed, you are, because you were forcefully turned and haven't decided to join your Alpha's pack. Those of us who have a pack are called Betas. Betas' give power to their Alpha- together, a pack is more powerful than you can imagine."

Sarah stared down at her hands. "Can you form a pack without an Alpha?"

"What do you mean?"

"Scott and I- he's my brother. He's family. He's my _pack_." She whispered.

He smiled sadly. "It's possible." He let go of her hand and rolled his shoulders back trying to relieve some of the tension that rested there. "The thing is pack doesn't always mean family- you don't have to be family to be part of a pack. You just have to submit."

"I'll never submit to that monster." The brunette growled anger surging through her veins at the thought of joining the thing that turned her.

Derek smirked. "I have no doubt that you'll put up a hell of a fight. Your brother, your friends- they're lucky to have you."

Sarah nodded. "I'm lucky to have them. They'll keep me human. They'll keep me from turning into _that._"

"You're not human. Not anymore." He shook his head. "But you're right. With them you'll keep your humanity."

"We're _still _human Derek. You may not see it anymore- but we are still human, we still breathe, our hearts still beat despite being-" Sarah glanced down at her hands. "What we ar-"

Derek abruptly clapped a calloused hand over the brunette's mouth, unbalancing them both enough that they tipped backwards onto the bed. Derek stared down at the girl beneath him, uncomfortably aware of how close they were. For those few, heavenly seconds every part of her body was pressed against his own. Suddenly every objection he had flew out the window and every part of him _wanted her._

"Derek!"

Sarah stiffened at the sound of her brother's voice. The older man slowly removed his hand from her mouth, trusting that she wouldn't get him in even more trouble. 'Stay here.' The brunette nodded. She sure as hell wasn't going anywhere. Her cobalt eyes followed Derek as he smoothly got up off the bed and pulled on his shoes- she hadn't even noticed they'd fallen off.

"Derek!" The anger in her brother's voice was almost palpable. "Stay away from them! You hear me? Stay away from them!"

"What if I don't? What if they come to me? Huh? What are you going to then Scott?"

"Sarah doesn't need your help! I can protect her! I can protect both of them!"

Sarah scowled. The last thing she wanted was Scott speaking for her- especially when he was making the wrong decisions.

"No, you can't." Derek snapped. You think your little buddy Stiles can just, Google werewolves and now you've got all the answers is that it? You don't know it yet Scott but I'm looking out for you. Think about what could happen. You're out on the field. The aggression takes over and you shift. In front of everyone." Sarah held her breath. "Your Mum- all of your friends- the Hunters. When they see you everything will fall apart."

The dull shred of canvas echoed in her ears- as quiet as possible she risked a glance out of the window and saw Derek, his hand shifted into claws had ripped through the netting of Scott's beloved Lacrosse stick.

"It's not just you on the line here Scott. It's me- it's your sister. If someone sees you shift it's not that much of a leap to think your sister will too."

Derek threw the stick into the air and was gone. Somehow the brunette wasn't surprised to find him behind her seconds later, pulling her away from the window and back against one of the walls. The two werewolves stood chest to chest- just breathing softly until they could no longer hear the wheel's of Scott's bike or the crunching of leaves. All they could hear were the steady beating of their hearts.

"How'd you do that?" Sarah breathed.

Derek stared down at her, once again aware of how close they were. "Partial shift- eyes and hands- the speed and strength is always there but shifting the eyes and nails somehow taps into it."

"You don't want him to play the game on Saturday."

He cocked his head to the side. "Do you?"

She shook her head. "Definitely not."

"Good." Derek replied as he stepped away from her.

Sarah nervously asked the next question. "Will you teach me?"

* * *

The Saturday morning before the game saw Sarah sitting on her bed, staring at her laptop screen, hoping that the English essay would write itself. There were so many other things going through her mind- that no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't concentrate on school. Which was probably a bad thing since her grade point average was at least a 4.1. She'd worked hard for every one of those A's and now her prefect GPA was going to slip because she couldn't get her mind off the bloody werewolves!

"You know-" A voice drawled from the doorway, "glaring at your precious laptop won't start that essay."

Sarah whirled around so quickly she was surprised she hadn't gotten whiplash. "Erica?" She shouted.

"Hola chica!" The blonde squealed with laughter as she was jumped on by her excited best friend. Sarah, misjudging her newfound strength sent the two of them tumbling to the ground in a mess of limbs. Giggles echoed through the room as the two girls hugged tightly. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too Eri!" Sarah laughed as she disentangled herself from the blonde and sat upright. "When did you get back?"

"This morning." Erica grinned. "Mum let me go- she got called to the station fifteen minutes ago and dropped me here."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Nice to see everything with your Mum is completely back to normal."

Erica sighed. "Apparently a month long holiday in Australia can't even fix that much." The blonde stood up and started searching through Sarah's closet. "First things first what have I missed and what are we wearing tonight?"

The blue-eyed girl grinned and bounced over to the closet. "Didn't you buy anything new in Australia?"

"Well yes, but that's all at my house and we're at your house so we're wearing your clothes."

Sarah rolled her eyes. It had always astounded her how different Erica acted when it was just them, and when she was around anyone else. When it was just the two of them, even her walk said she could take on the world single-handed and come out on top. However as soon as she stepped foot onto the School grounds every single drop of confidence leached out of her and suddenly she was a timid, quiet, scrap of the sixteen year old bombshell she was at home. If it wasn't for Sarah who stuck by her side no matter what people said- it was likely that Erica would have faded into the background.

"In that case," Sarah smiled, "You need to wear these." She pulled out a pair of shiny black skinny jeans. Erica gulped nervously. While her and Sarah were practically the same size, she knew the brunette had bought these jeans specifically for her. The hazel-eyed girl slipped them on and gaped at her reflection in the mirror. The jeans clung to her legs like a second skin- she couldn't wear these. Not in public. There was no way.

"I can't wear these."

"Ah, yes you can." Sarah responded.

Erica shook her head quickly. "I can't wear these Sarah. What if-" she looked down. "What if-"

"You won't. And if you do…" Sarah took her hands. "I'll be with you the whole time."

The blonde nodded uncertainly. Turning back to the mirror she sighed. What had she done to deserve a friend like Sarah? Perhaps she did something great in a past life? Erica smiled and shook her head. Her eyes swept the room. Not much had changed in the month she'd been gone- everything was still in the same place, well almost everything. Her hazel eyes lingered on a black leather jacket that was folded innocently on the window seat.

Erica crossed the room quickly and picked it up, holding it out curiously in front of her. Sarah's eyes widened. Derek's jacket! She'd totally forgotten about it and now she was going to have to explain to Erica how she'd gotten it and who, she'd gotten it from.

"I think there's something you've forgotten to tell me S." Erica smirked as she inspected the jacket.

"I- uh- well. It belongs to a friend." Sarah stuttered.

Erica's eyes glinted with mirth. "A friend huh? Well it's not Stiles- obviously, he wears hoodies and blazers, not leather jackets- and it's not Danny's, so this friend must be someone I haven't met yet."

The brunette transferred her weight from one foot to the other nervously. "It belongs to someone I met recently- do you remember the Hale fire about six years ago?"

The hazel-eyed girl nodded. "Yeah, Mum worked that case for months- they never found who did it." Erica lowered her voice. "There's been rumors of Arson for years though. I think she wants to push to reopen it. Why?"

Sarah sighed. "Because that jacket belongs to Derek Hale."

The jacket fell to the floor.

"Erica?" Sarah asked nervously as she saw the frozen face of her best friend. "Erica, what's wrong."

"My Mum." The blonde started. "She was- um- she was called to the station."

"I know Eri. You told me." The brunette replied quickly.

"No you don't understand! Sarah she was called to the station to interrogate someone suspected of Murder! I overheard her on the phone! Sare, she was called to interrogate Derek Hale."

Sarah's cobalt eyes flashed golden casing Erica to yelp and jump backwards, crashing into the closed wardrobe door. Sarah growled, ignoring the crash, as she realized why Derek had been put in jail. _Scott._ He wanted to play the damn Lacrosse game so desperately that he'd gotten Derek, the only one who could help control them when they shifted, put in jail. She looked up, staring directly into the terrified eyes of her best friend.

This was not how she wanted Erica to find out. The brunette crashed to her knees as the pain of the shift and the fight against the primal instincts of the wolf inside of her overwhelmed her. Clenching her teeth together she gasped as her now razor sharp canines pierced her bottom lip.

"Sarah!" Erica shouted as blood leaked down the normally blue-eyed girl's chin. She quickly knelt beside her and tried to get the out of control teen to look at her. Sarah growled and grasped Erica's throat tightly before she even knew what was happening. The blonde choked. "S-ar-" She gasped.

Sarah dropped her in shock, scrambled to her feet and bolted to her bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Falling to the floor once more she tried to focus on the advice Derek had given her earlier- but all she could think of was the terrified face of her best friend. She could have killed her best friend! She hadn't even noticed until Erica had gasped. She wouldn't be able live with herself if she killed one of the people that meant the most to her! What if she didn't realize next time? She had no control and the death of a friend seemed closer than ever.

Erica fell to the floor, gasping as air returned to her lungs. Her best friend had just tried to kill her. Her mind was racing- whatever had just happened- the brunette wasn't in control of what was happening- was she? One thought kept passing through her whirring mind_. Sarah was dangerous_.

Every instinct screamed at her to run- that if she stayed here, she wouldn't last the night. But despite all of that- Sarah was still her best friend. "Sarah?" She called nervously through the bathroom door. She steeled her nerves and shoved the terror to the back of her mind. That girl in there was still her best friend. She was sure of it. "Sarah! Open up! Open the damn door god damnit! Open the fucking door and let me help!"

"You- can't" Sarah growled. "I'll hurt you again." Her voice was deeper, more animalistic- it was the first time she'd ever heard her voice in her wolf form. Remembering what had happened in the bathroom Sarah clenched her fists- she screamed as her claws pierced her skin.

"Sarah! Jesus Christ Sarah let me in!" The scream of pain chilled Erica's blood and effectively quelled any lingering fear she had of the brunette. She threw her weight against the door- her shoulder seared in pain as the door was rammed open. She'd broken the lock- a feat that wasn't unprecedented in the McCall household. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blood on the floor and her bloody and shivering best friend. "Oh Sare."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

The mantra continued as Erica gently pulled her friend upright and pushed her into the shower. The blonde peeled off Sarah's singlet- the bloody girl raised her hands above her head obediently, she suddenly seemed so much smaller- vulnerable even. It was a rather shocking contrast from the monster she'd been minutes before. Her sweat pants were easier, only requiring her to step out of them leaving her only in her underwear. Erica turned on the taps and attempted to wash away the blood that still stained the brunette.

Sarah's whispered apologies continued as the blonde pulled her out of the shower and wrapped a towel tightly around her. Erica led the brunette back into her room and quickly grabbed the closest item of clothing and wrapped it around her friend. Too late, she realized that Sarah was now wrapped in Derek's leather jacket. Surprisingly the jacket comforted the brunette more than Erica's calming presence.

Erica sighed as she knelt in front of her best friend. "What happened Sare?"

The girl shuddered. "I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't mean to!"

"I know."

"I promise I didn't mean to- you've got to believe me Erica." Sarah pleaded with the blonde on the floor, grasping her hands tightly.

Erica sighed as she sat back on her heels. "I don't know what to believe Sare." She pulled her hands from Sarah's grip and clasped them together in her lap. "What _happened_ to you? You're not the same girl I left behind."

"I'm still me." The brunette whispered. "I'm still the same girl_._"

"No," Erica shook her head vehemently. "You're not. The girl I left behind, the girl that is my best friend would never have tried to strangle me. You're not _her_. So _what _are you_?"_

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Sarah closed her eyes. It was now or never. Either her best friend would believe her or run away screaming. "I- I'm a werewolf." She said in a rush.

The blonde's hazel eyes widened almost comically. "What?" She spluttered.

"The night before school, Stiles had the bright idea to go out to the woods in search of the other half of the body- John caught him and we were left alone in the woods- Scott lost his inhaler- we were looking for it. We'd been in those woods plenty of times- we didn't expect- the monster it-" She shuddered, "It _bit_ me. I almost died."

Erica stared at her best friend- lost for words. It sounded so unbelievable- a story so removed from reality that it couldn't possibly be true. She stiffened as she remembered the fierce golden eyes of the girl across from her. She glanced back at the bloodstained bathroom floor and remembered how that blood had gotten there. It was unreal and yet the proof was right in front of her.

"How did you…?"

"Survive?" She muttered shaking her head. Surviving was still hard for her to grasp. "Derek Hale."

"Arrested for murder, being interrogated by my Mother, Derek Hale?" Erica asked slowly.

Sarah grinned wryly and pulled the Jacket tighter around her body. "One and the same."

"Jesus Sarah." The blonde stood up and ran her hands through her hair. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into? That guy is dangerous! He was just arrested for murder damn it!"

"He's innocent. The body in the woods was his sister Laura." Sarah explained quickly. "I don't know what happened or how he got arrested but I can guarantee that it had something to do with Scott and Stiles."

"Your brother?" Erica yelped. "Scott's involved in this? Is he a- a-"

"A werewolf?" The brunette supplied nervously. "Yeah, he is."

The hazel-eyed girl sat down heavily on the windowsill. "Fuck." She rubbed her neck absently. "Can he do the- uh- claw thing?" Sarah nodded. "Fuck." Erica repeated.

The two girls froze as a door slammed loudly downstairs. "Sarah honey? You here?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "I'm upstairs!" She shouted back. Erica sprinted across the room and awkwardly pulled the en suite door shut, while Sarah quickly pulled on a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt from her cupboard.

"Hey kiddo." Melissa smiled as she appeared in the doorway. Her eyes quickly found Erica and her smile widened. "Erica sweetheart! You're home!" The older woman opened her arms for a hug and wasn't surprised when Erica shot into them. Melissa had become a surrogate mother of a sort to both Erica and Stiles- Erica due to her strained and frankly, neglectful relationship with her absentee mother and Stiles, because of Claudia's death. "Did you enjoy your trip?"

All three women in the room knew what Melissa was really asking. 'Did she treat you right?'

Erica smiled. "Yeah it was fine."

Melissa nodded and eyed her haphazardly clothed daughter over the Blonde's shoulder. "Scott's game starts in half an hour girls and Sarah Anne, I do not care how angry you are at your brother, you are going to the game. So rug up and be downstairs in fifteen minutes!"

The older brunette smiled as Sarah nodded. She turned on her heel with a wave and left the two girls to their own devices.

Erica turned to Sarah as soon as Melissa left, her shoulders stiff and her eyes blazing. "On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous will Scott playing this game be?"

Sarah bit her lip. "Eleven."

* * *

"Are you going to try and convince me not to play?" Scott asked as he looked up at his friend.

Stiles sighed and shook his head. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"If I don't play I lose first line and Allison." The brunet groaned.

"Yeah," Stiles started, "but if you do play you risk losing a whole lot more than that." Stiles' voice dropped to an aggravated hiss. "You're risking your life and Sarah's life. This is a bad idea."

Scott glared at him.

"Don't glare at me Scott! I went along with this idea because I thought Derek was guilty! I still don't think you should play- Allison isn't going anywhere! This is one game that you really don't need to play."

"I wanna play!" Scott yelled. "I want to be on the team, I want to go out with Allison. I want a semi fricking normal life. Do you get that? I know I can control this. I know I can. I'd never do anything that would put my sister in danger. Never."

Stiles looked down. Maybe Scott didn't realize that he already _had. _"I get it." He sighed. "But someday you'll turn around and realize you lost everything because of one girl."

Scott's pointed lack of a response prompted Stiles to pick up his Lacrosse gear and wander out to the field. Sullenly joining the few members of the team that were waiting on the benches, his eyes swept the crowd, searching for the cobalt blue of his best friend. Raising his arm in hello when he spotted the familiar heads of brunette hair he walked over to them, dodging through the crowd with ease. Stiles smiled tightly as he spotted Erica at Sarah's side- he wondered vaguely if Sarah had told her- so much had changed since she'd left and if Sarah hadn't said anything it was going to be awkward as hell to avoid conversations about werewolves. Especially since it was what most of their conversations revolved around these days.

"Hey gorgeous!" He smiled as he wrapped the blonde in a tight hug, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Stiles!" She laughed and hugged him back with just as much enthusiasm.

Stiles' brown eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of darkened skin that peaked out of the scarf around Erica's neck. He turned a questioning glance to Sarah who hung her head guiltily. His eyes widened. _Sarah had caused that._

Erica adjusted the scarf and took Stiles' hand. "I'm fine." She glanced at the guilty brunette beside her and slipped her other arm around her waist. "Sarah and I- we uh- had a little misunderstanding."

"I almost killed you." Sarah whispered hotly, her eyes shining as she pulled away from Erica's grip.

Stiles touched her chin softly. "Hey, Eri's fine sorellina."

Erica nodded. "If you really wanted to kill me I have no doubt that I would be dead."

"Oh yes, because that makes it so much better." Sarah growled as she clutched the jacket in her hands closer to her chest. She'd been intending to leave it at home, but Erica's swift glare had prevented that. The blonde had muttered something about reassurance and refused to leave the room until Sarah picked up the jacket.

"You're right, it doesn't." Erica agreed, shocking both of her friends. "But my forgiveness does."

Stiles smiled. "We love you. No matter how hairy you get."

His comment effectively broke the tension, causing the two girls to giggle as Melissa rejoined the group. "Shouldn't you be getting ready Stiles?"

Stiles eyes widened as he realized the game was seconds from starting. "Yep!" He yelped and raced off without so much as a goodbye to the small group.

The whistle blew loudly and the team jogged onto the field to the sound of the crowd's cheers. Erica pulled the jittery brunette down onto the seat beside her- despite the full forgiveness she'd given her friend, she was still wary of Sarah's now fiery temper. The blonde watched nervously as Jackson easily flattened Scott, out of the corner of her eye she saw her best friends' fists clench and thankfully that was the only outward change to the brunette's appearance.

Sarah's eyes followed Scott as he raced up and down the field. She could feel the change in the air and knew with out a doubt that her brother was fighting for control of the shift. Turning in her seat she scanned the crowd, her cobalt eyes searching for any sign of the Argents. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Lydia smirking as she forced Allison to hold up a sign sporting Jackson's name. Sarah rolled her eyes at the strawberry blonde's antics. In typical Lydia fashion, she'd gotten exactly what she wanted- and made sure other's got their share as well. Despite her reputation, no one would call Lydia Martin selfish. Well, maybe a little.

But it was the clean-shaven man beside Allison that truly caught her attention. At first glance, he seemed completely inconspicuous however as she looked closer she saw there was nothing even remotely casual about him. Everything from the way he sat, to the way his eyes suspiciously darted between the players on the field caused alarm bells to ring loudly in her head. Sarah turned her head back to the field slowly- aware of the way his dark eyes followed the movement before moving on.

"Are you okay?" Erica whispered loudly.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine."

Erica wasn't entirely convinced by Sarah's reply but let the conversation rest as she turned her attention back to the game. Her jaw dropped as the opposing player that Scott had stopped in front of hurriedly passed him the ball. Melissa turned to the two girls in shock.

"Did he just-"

"I think so." Erica mumbled as she clamped a hand down on Sarah's bouncing knee, stopping the constant clanging of the bench beneath them.

"Sorry." The brunette muttered her cobalt eyes glued to her brother's back as he threw the ball straight through the goalies' racket just as the final siren sounded. "Damn it Scott." She growled as Scott raced off the field.

Erica linked their arms together. "Should we go after him?"

"No." Sarah shook her head, hearing the subtle undertones of fear in Erica's voice. Her eyes followed the slim form of Stiles as he sprinted towards the locker rooms. "Stiles has it under control." Her eyes scanned the crowd quickly, darting from face to face, looking, searching, for any sign that someone had noticed Scott's shift. The crowd was still milling about, slowly growing smaller as people lingered to congratulate players and parents searched for their kids. She hoped that any Hunters in the crowd wouldn't want to risk being sent to jail by attacking either her or Scott, but that didn't exactly guarantee her safety anywhere else.

She sighed in relief as Stiles jogged back onto the field unharmed. He flashed a thumbs up in her direction, causing her to relax slightly. He started towards the two girls, but stopped as his phone began to ring. Her newly sensitive hearing picked up the conversation as easily as though he was standing beside her.

_"Dad? What's wrong?" Stiles worriedly asked._

_"The medical examiner looked at the other half of the body. They found traces of Animal hairs. We got the wrong man."_

"_What?" Stiles exclaimed loudly._

Erica turned in his direction after she heard is horrified exclamation, she pointed at him in confusion. "What happened?"

"They're letting him go." The brunette whispered as she held up the jacket. "He was released from police custody fifteen minutes ago- Scott will not be pleased." She muttered.

Erica nodded, "And neither is Stiles apparently. He looks pissed."

Sarah shrugged. "Not much we can do about that." She looked around again, this time for her Mum. It seemed that any Hunter's in the crowd hadn't seen anything they classified as suspicious- but that didn't mean it was safe for any of them to let their guards down. "I don't think anyone noticed Eri, we should be right to…" She trailed off as she spotted a familiar figure at the edge of parking lot, resting against a shiny black car.

Erica turned in the direction her friend was facing, her mouth dropping in a perfect 'o' as she too, spotted the imposing figure. "Is that-"

"Uhhuh." Nodded Sarah.

"He's gorgeous." The blonde muttered with a sly grin.

The brunette turned to her friend. "He can hear you."

"You mean he's-"

"Yes." The blue-eyed girl replied. "I should-"

Erica smirked. "Go talk to him? Yes you should." She leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "And then you'll call me and tell me everything." The significant stare she shot the brunette spoke volumes and suddenly nothing more needed to be said.

"You're crazy." Sarah laughed. "But yes, I'll call you."

The blonde stepped up and hugged her tightly. "See you tomorrow S."

Sarah nodded and watched for a few seconds longer as Erica walked off towards Stiles, no doubt intending to ask for a ride home. She shook her head and walked towards the parking lot. He still looked good, despite his little stint in jail- part of her wanted to hate him a little bit, she never looked so composed.

"You're friend is interesting." He said by way of a greeting.

The brunette shook her head. "You have no idea." She smirked. "You look pretty good for a guy just getting out of jail."

Derek scowled. "No thanks to your brother and his friend." He eyed the field. "He was lucky tonight."

"He was stupid."

"So were you." He glanced over his shoulder at the two people getting into the old blue Jeep parked not far from where they were standing by his car. "She hid the bruises well, but not well enough. I'm right to assume that that was you?"

Sarah clutched the jacket in her arms tighter. "Yes." She ground out.

"She forgave you."

"She shouldn't have." Mumbled the blue-eyed girl. "I almost killed her."

Derek shook his head. "If you wanted to kill her she'd be dead. You have more control than you realize."

"But it's not enough!" Sarah growled.

He reached out and gripped her shoulders. "It's enough for now. Control will come with time."

Sarah sighed and changed the subject. She held out the leather jacket. "This is yours."

Derek dropped his arms from her shoulders and took the offered jacket, accepting her attempt to change the subject. "It is." He turned the jacket over in his hands. He stared down at it. Did he really want it back? A part of him did. But the other half wanted to see her in it again. He didn't think as he stepped forward, close enough that they were chest to chest and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. If he were going down this road then at least he'd do it right. "Keep it. It looked better on you anyway."

"I-" She looked up at him. She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory by accepting the jacket, but the idea of the dangerous stranger was so appealing. The idea of _Derek Hale_ was appealing and more than half of her craved the idea of having him all to her self. "Thank you." As she shoved her arms into the sleeves she shook those thoughts out of her mind. It would never work- not matter how much she wished it to. Whatever they had was a passing fancy. It would pass. _Right?_

He nodded and handed her a small slip of paper. "If you need any help." He shrugged and stepped into his car. Revving the engine loudly he smirked at her and sped out of the parking lot, without so much as a goodbye.

Sarah glanced down at the paper in her hands. Ten digits. _A phone number?_ She grinned and shoved her hands into the pockets of the overly large jacket as she walked towards her Mum's car. Derek Hale had given her his phone number. And she hadn't even had to ask.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this Chapter. Please, Review, Favourite or Follow! I like hearing your opinions and ideas! **

**~HN**


	3. Pack Mentality

**AN: So this is up a lot earlier than I expected it to be. I'm not really sure if anyone is actually reading this version (the better version) of Addicted but I hope they are, because when I've revised all thirteen chapters of the old edition I will be taking it down and just focusing on this one. I really hope you guys enjoy this, there's a little Derek/Sarah fluff. Hopefully you like my little tweaks on the werewolf legend, because there will be more to come!**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I don't own Teen Wolf, that honour belongs to Jeff Davis. Although if I did, Adien wouldn't have died, Lydia would have a boyfriend and the Hales would get a lot more screen-time. As usual, Sarah belongs to me.**

* * *

**Addicted**

**Chapter Three**

**Pack Mentality**

* * *

_Previously: _

_Derek dropped his arms from her shoulders and took the offered jacket, accepting her attempt to change the subject. "It is." He turned the jacket over in his hands. He stared down at it. Did he really want it back? A part of him did. But the other half wanted to see her in it again. He didn't think as he stepped forward, close enough that they were chest to chest and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. If he were going down this road then at least he'd do it right. "Keep it. It looked better on you anyway."_

_"I-" She looked up at him. She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory by accepting the jacket, but the idea of the dangerous stranger was so appealing. The idea of __Derek Hale_ _was appealing and more than half of her craved the idea of having him all to her self. "Thank you." As she shoved her arms into the sleeves she shook those thoughts out of her mind. It would never work- not matter how much she wished it to. Whatever they had was a passing fancy. It would pass._ Right?

_He nodded and handed her a small slip of paper. "If you need any help." He shrugged and stepped into his car. Revving the engine loudly he smirked at her and sped out of the parking lot, without so much as a goodbye._

_Sarah glanced down at the paper in her hands. Ten digits._ A phone number? _She grinned and shoved her hands into the pockets of the overly large jacket as she walked towards her Mum's car. Derek Hale had given her his phone number. And she hadn't even had to ask._

* * *

Everything was red.

Unfocused.

Hazy.

She felt detached, as though she didn't have any control of her limbs- she knew she was walking- running even- she just didn't know where.

Any recognizable landmarks passed in a blur until suddenly the haze lifted and she knew _exactly_ where she was. The glaring yellow paint of the parked school busses gleamed even through the red fog that had covered her eyes. Her golden eyes followed the movement of two people running towards the busses- their laughter being carried on the wind to her ears.

She knew that laugh.

She was moving forward again- slowly- almost cautiously- toward the bus.

Laughter met her ears once more. She _knew _that laugh.

Scott? He flashed her an amused smile- but turned away as quickly as it happened.

What was Scott doing here?

What was _she_ doing here?

She jolted forward- this wasn't _right._ She flailed in the air- her limbs no longer belonged to her- she hissed as she hit the ground on all fours, abruptly shifting back to human form. The uneven gravel cut her palms and shredded her jeans exposing her bloody knees as she landed. As quickly as she bled, she healed, the slight sting snapping her back to a semblance of reality.

What was she doing _here?_

Her head whipped up at the sound of a blood-curdling scream.

Vicious growling filled her ears and suddenly everything was black.

* * *

Sarah sat upright with a shuddering gasp. Flinging the sweat soaked sheets off of her body she scrambled out of bed and bolted to her brother's room.

"Scott!" She yelled through the closed door. "Scott open up!"

"What?" Came his somewhat groggy reply as he pulled the door open.

The brunette threw herself at her brother, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she hugged him for all his worth.

"Hey," Scott started softly. "What happened?"

She let him go and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, yelping as her fingers caught in a knot. Pulling her hand from her hair her eyes widened as she opened her palm to find a small stick sitting innocently on her smooth skin. The twig fell to the floor as she stared at her palms in shock. _Why were they dirty?_

"I- I don't know." Sarah whispered. "I had this dream… It's kind of hazy, everything was red- I was at the school?"

Scott's whole body tensed. "Near the busses?"

"How did- wait." Sarah held up her hand and shook her head. "No." She crossed her arms. "No! You and I- we couldn't have-"

"You don't think…"

"I do." Sarah muttered. She glanced down at her clothing- the torn jeans and the ripped shirt- evidence of the night she'd had. "It wasn't a dream."

* * *

"So you killed her." Stiles stated as he threw his arm over Sarah's shoulder.

"No!" Scott snapped glaring between the two.

Sarah shrugged. "Don't look at me- I didn't actually see anything."

"That's the problem." The aggravated teen muttered. "If you'd seen something then I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Oh so now it's my fault?" The brunette growled.

Scott held up his hands. "I wasn't saying that- I was just saying that if you paid just a-

"I swear to god Scott if you finish that sentence I'll kick you in the shins." Sarah responded, her eyes blazing.

"Fine." He conceded. "It's just I've never had a dream like that before. It was so real- I woke up and I was sweating like crazy and I-"

"Couldn't breathe." Sarah finished. "If I wasn't in the same clothes as last night I wouldn't have believed it- I hoped it was just a nightmare."

Stiles nodded. "You know what? I've actually had a dream like that before… it usually ends a little differently though."

The twin's jaws dropped open in identical expressions of shock. Sarah quickly shrugged off Stiles' arm and shuddered theatrically.

"Right." Sarah muttered to her brother. "I'll smother him and you can hide the body."

"Done." Scott replied.

"Hello? I'm right here, guys! It's not nice to plot your best friend's murder when they're right beside you." Stiles pouted.

The brunet gaped at him. "I'm going to need years of therapy to erase that image from my mind Stiles- and maybe a bottle of bleach. I speak for both of us-" He gestured to the girl beside him, "When I say that you should never give us that much information about yourself in bed."

"Never again Stiles. I mean never." Sarah muttered.

"Noted." Stiles laughed. "Let me take a guess here though-"

"I know, you think it has something to do with me gong out with Allison tomorrow? Like I'm going to lose control and rip her throat out."

"Huh?" Sarah sputtered as she turned to face her brother. "When did that happen?"

"Ah." Scott rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was going to tell you-"

"But you didn't." The brunette muttered. "Remember when you used to tell me everything? No? Me either."

Stiles glanced between the two nervously. Thanks to the bite, the two had been increasingly irritable- apparently all that was needed to set the other off was a single misunderstood word or a forgotten confession. "Well actually, yeah that's totally it."

The twins turned to stare at him once more.

"You know, getting back on topic." He shrugged sheepishly. "Personally I think you're handling this pretty freaking amazingly. Both of you are. I mean it's not like there's a Lycanthropy for Beginners class you can take now is there?"

"No." Scott groused. "But there is a teacher."

"Oh so now you see him as an option, but the other day when I suggested it, you told me he was dangerous and that I should stay away from him!"

"Please tell me that you're not talking about Derek?" Stiles gaped. "You have got to be kidding! Are you forgetting that _we_ got him thrown in jail?"

Sarah laughed. "Why are you saying we? Because I had nothing to do with that! _You _two got him arrested and now, you suckers need his help! Good luck with that one assholes." Pulling her phone out of her back pocket she checked to see if she'd gotten any texts from Erica- the screen was still blank. She shoved it back in her pocket. She didn't blame the blonde for not wanting to talk to her. Not after what had happened.

"You're not very nice this morning." The Sheriff's son observed.

"But I am every other morning." She smirked.

"Touché."

Scott rolled his eyes at their antics as they continued down the corridor. "You two were separated at birth I swear to god."

"Uhhuh, so does that make him a McCall or me a Stilinski?" Sarah quipped her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Scott shook his head. "I don't even want to guess." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "It felt so real. Chasing her, dragging her to the back of the bus- I knew what I was doing. It- it just felt so real…"

"How real?" Stiles asked absently as he fiddled with his backpack.

"Like it actually happened." Sarah replied softly.

Silence descended over the trio as they reached the end of the corridor, none of them really knowing how to respond after Sarah's last sentence. Pushing the double doors that lead to the quad, the trio froze as their eyes attempted to comprehend the horrific sight in front of them. The same glaring yellow school bus as the night before was broken- the back door was bent in half hanging off the bus on one of its hinges- bloody claw marks decorated the whole scene like some kind of macabre artwork.

"I think it did." Stiles breathed in a horrified kind awe.

Sarah backed away from the scene so quickly she tripped over her feet. She would have collided with the floor if, it wasn't for Stiles' steady, reliable grip on her elbow.

"Steady, sorellina."

"I'm fine." Sarah replied. "I'm fine."

Stiles nodded. He turned to Scott, who was frantically dialing a number on his phone. "I'm sure she's okay Scott."

"She's not answering Stiles. My calls, my texts, nothing! She's not answering!" Scott panicked. "Oh god what if I killed her. What if I actually killed her?"

"Jesus Christ Scott." Stiles groaned and pushed Scott into a small alcove off the corridor. "You didn't kill her. What happened out there is just a coincidence."

"There's no such thing as coincidences." Sarah hissed.

Stiles glared at her. "Not helping."

"Not trying to."

The older McCall pushed past his bickering friends and continued his march down the corridor, searching for the pale-skinned girl of his dreams. Sarah and Stiles, forgetting their argument, raced after him.

"I'm sure she's fine Scott." Stiles soothed.

"She better be. I'd rather not be the next person lying in an unmarked grave." Sarah muttered.

The warning glare she received from her friend didn't faze her. She may not even remotely like Allison, but that didn't mean that she wanted the girl dead. Far from it- the last thing any of them needed was the blood of a teenage-girl on their hands. Especially when that girl was born into a family of hunters.

"Sarah, could you, for once in your life, shut the hell up!" Scott whipped around, as he angrily yelled at his younger sister. "I don't need you to be whispering snide, sarcastic little comments in my ear! I just need you to help me find her."

The brunette rolled her eyes. Scott wasn't the only one rocked by what had happened last night, frankly the notion that either, of them had the ability to maul someone to death and _get away with it_ terrified her.

"Thank you." Scott mumbled as he took her hand softly.

She shook her head. "Don't thank me yet." She pulled her hand away and adjusted her bag. "I'll check her locker."

Turning away from her brother she took a deep breath and headed towards the lockers. Her head was throbbing- the stress of the morning was getting to her. Rubbing her eyes tiredly she didn't even notice the person in front of her until it was too late. She hit the ground hard as the contents of her bag spilled across the hallway.

"Watch where you're going for gods sake." A familiar voice grumbled.

Looking up, Sarah smothered a relieved laugh. There, in front of her, alive and well, was a somewhat ruffled, Allison Argent. "Why don't you try it yourself sometime Argent."

The pale girl scowled down at her. "You ran into me. Apologize."

Sarah sat up on her elbows and laughed. "Not bloody likely."

"Ugh." The new girl growled and stepped over the fallen girl without a backwards glance.

Sarah stared after her for a moment before lying back down on the ground, relief flooding her body. Argent was alive. But that begged the question- whose blood covered the bus? She rubbed her forehead. The headache she'd had that morning quadrupled- the combination of stress, lack of sleep and a hard floor had seen to that. It was going to be a long day and she was content to stay exactly where she was on the cold, linoleum floor.

She smelt the person that sat down beside her before she saw them. The sweet scent of vanilla invaded her senses, and for the first time that day she smiled.

"Want to explain what you're doing on the floor?"

Sarah opened her eyes and turned to her friend. "I just kind of landed here and I haven't found the energy to get up yet."

Erica laughed. "Nice to see that your complete lack of energy hasn't changed." She smiled at her friend and held out her hand. "C'mon kiddo, let's get you off the floor. People aren't gonna walk around you forever you know."

Accepting the hand, the two girls got to their feet. The two quickly picked up the brunette's scattered possessions and shoved them back into her messenger bag.

"You look like you had a rough night." The blonde said as she peered at her friends worn features and tired eyes.

"You have no idea." Sarah muttered.

Erica, realizing there was more to be said, dragged her friend into the nearest bathroom. Quickly checking to see if it was empty, she turned to her friend. "Spill."

"You saw the bus?"

"That was you?!" The blonde screeched.

"Shh!" Sarah hissed as she slapped a hand over Erica's mouth. "No it wasn't me! It was Scott- we think. We don't actually know. It's kind of a long story."

"Beginning with…?"

"We thought it was a dream- a creepy shared dream. It wasn't until we got here that we realized that it was something very, very different. We thought it was Allison- but she's alive- she's fine. We-we don't know what we did, only that we didn't have any control."

Erica lent against a sink, her mind rolling over Sarah's words. She clearly remembered the scene she'd walked into not fifteen minutes ago. The macabre bus would haunt her dreams for sure that night, of that she had no doubt. She rubbed her neck absently. The bruises had healed, there was no permanent damage- other than the knowledge that her once gentle best friend could snap her like a twig if she so desired.

"We've really been thrown in the deep end here haven't we?" She asked wryly.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Erica smiled bitterly and linked their arms together, exiting the bathroom. "Werewolves. Two weeks ago they were just a bad plot device of a corny TV show," She laughed "And I'm pretty sure you're no Tyler Lockwood."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Thankfully. That guy is an asshole. Caroline deserves so much better!"

"Oh no, we are not starting this debate again!" Erica smirked. It was a familiar debate between the two best friends. Sarah unashamedly shipped Klaroline, while Erica was undoubtedly a Steroline fan. Both girls agreed on one thing though- Elena Gilbert was overrated.

_"Attention students this is your Principal. I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses but while the Police work to determine what happened, Classes will proceed as scheduled. Thank you."_ They laughed as groans filled the corridor. "Off to Chemistry we go."

"High ho, high ho." Sarah mumbled in reply.

* * *

"Maybe it was my blood on the door?" Scott whispered to the boy beside him.

"It could have been animal blood." Stiles responded. "You know, maybe you caught a rabbit or something."

Sarah leant forward and smacked the top of her brother's head with a rolled up piece of notepaper. "Would you two please stop trying to get the rest of us arrested?"

"And did what?" Scott flipped her off behind his back, ignoring her plea.

Stiles shrugged. "Ate it?"

"Raw?" The brunet yelped.

"No you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven." Stiles snapped sarcastically. "I don't know! You're the one who can't remember anything!"

"Oh no," Sarah muttered sarcastically, "Please ignore me and continue talking about the crime we committed. Go on. I insist."

Erica choked back a giggle.

"Mr. Stilinski. Is that your idea of a hushed whisper?" Stiles glanced up at the peeved Chemistry teacher. "You might want to pull out the head phones once in a while."

Once again the two girls struggled to hold in their laughter. It was a common problem in Chemistry as Stiles had a knack of putting the already grumpy teacher in an even worse mood. Sarah considered pissing off people in positions of authority a talent of Stiles. He was the only one who seemed to manage it on a regular basis.

"What?"

"I think you and Mr. McCall would benefit from some distance yes?" Mr. Harris continued.

"No." Stiles sassed.

Mr. Harris glared and separated them. "Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much."

Shaking their heads the two girls refocused on their Chemistry Assignments. Sarah sighed and rubbed her eyes. Chemistry was her worst class. Sure she was still pulling B's but she still struggled whenever she walked into the lab. It didn't help that the teacher, Mr. Harris, disliked her and all but refused to help her.

"Hey! I think they found something!"

Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone pushed them back carelessly in their haste to get to the windows.

"That's not a rabbit." Erica whispered as her hazel eyes scanned the parking lot below.

Their classroom on the second floor gave them a good, clear view of an older man on a bloodied stretcher being wheeled towards a waiting ambulance. The students watching in fascinated horror jumped back as he suddenly sat up- screaming so loudly that Sarah was sure her mum would have heard on the other side of town at the hospital.

"Okay." Stiles muttered. "This is good. He got up. He's not dead." He nervously glanced down at the struggling man being forced to lie flat on the stretcher. "Dead guys can't do that!"

"Stiles." Scott whispered his voice strained. "I did that."

Sarah slipped her hand into her brother's and squeezed it tightly. Scott glanced down at their joined hands and nodded. Sarah's message was clear. _You're not alone._

* * *

"But dreams aren't memories."

The shell-shocked group had found a table in the Cafeteria as soon as Chemistry ended. Stiles, in his infinite wisdom had been repeating the same four words for the past twenty minutes, attempting to convince himself that no, his friends weren't capable of almost mauling an innocent man to death.

"It wasn't a bloody dream Stiles! So shut it!" Erica snapped, finally reaching the end of her patience. The identical winces from the McCall twins caused her to pause and shrink a little in her seat. "Sorry…" She whispered.

Sarah nodded, accepting her apology.

"She's right Stiles." Scott mumbled. "I did that to him. Something _happened_. I just can't remember!"

"It's like there are gaps in the memory of last night." Sarah muttered. She couldn't understand how that was possible. Sure, she'd heard of people repressing memories of traumatic events- but for her, the night before hadn't been traumatic _enough._

"Well what makes you so sure that Derek has all the answers?" Stiles grumbled.

"I'm not sure." The brunette snapped. "But he knows a hell of a lot more than we do."

Scott nodded in agreement. "During the full moon he didn't change. He was in total control. While _we_ were running around in the middle of the night attacking people he was fine!"

Sarah glared at him. "I didn't attack anyone Scott- as far as I can remember it was all you."

"Exactly." He responded. "As far as you can remember." He sighed. "The point is that we don't know what happened." He groaned suddenly and cradled his head in his hands. "I'm going to have to cancel on Allison!"

Erica smirked at Sarah across the table. "That sounds like a great idea."

Sarah nodded enthusiastically until Stiles elbowed her in the side. "Uh no. He's not cancelling on Allison. He can't just cancel his whole life. Neither of you can! We'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" The quartet glanced up in Shock as Lydia calmly placed her lunch tray next to Scott and took a seat at the half empty table.

"Homework." Erica replied quietly. Though Sarah the combined efforts of Sarah, Stiles and on occasion Lydia herself, the blonde had started becoming more confident she wasn't going to lie and say that Lydia Martin wasn't, in any way intimidating.

Because she was.

She was _very_ intimidating.

"Why is she sitting with us?" Stiles hissed across the table.

"She's not deaf idiot." Sarah pointed out loudly. "She can hear you."

Lydia sarcastically waved to him and called over the rest of her clique. By now the table was beginning to fill with the rest of the combined clique that Lydia and Jackson had created around them. Sarah smiled as she felt a strong arm flung over her shoulder and a quick kiss pressed against her temple.

"Danny!" She cried and hugged him tightly. They hadn't had the opportunity to talk since returning to school and she'd missed him terribly over summer. "How was your Camp?"

He put a finger to his lips, a smirk playing on his face. Sarah leant forward. "What happens at Camp stays at Camp doll."

Sarah laughed as he finished the sentence with a wink. "You got some action then?"

"A gentleman never tells." Danny's smirk was the only answer she needed. He'd come out as gay eight years ago, to the amusement of his mother who had stated that she didn't particularly care about his sexuality, as long as he was safe and stayed true to himself. That attitude however hadn't translated to his father who despite Danny's efforts had practically disowned him the instant he'd 'left the closet'.

"Get up." Jackson demanded as he reached the crowded table. He'd issued the order to a curly haired boy that Sarah hadn't bothered to get to know. The only one of Jackson's minions that she liked was Danny and that was because Danny was, well, Danny. Everyone liked him.

"Why don't you ever ask Danny to get up?" The boy complained bitterly.

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriends coin slot." Danny replied, his smirk still firmly in place.

Sarah nudged his arm and shook her head. "It's cause you're cuter."

Danny laughed. "I always knew that Jackson was madly in love with me." He winked before turning his attention back to the rest of the table. "So I heard that they're saying it was some kind of animal attack? Probably a Cougar?"

"I heard Mountain Lion." Jackson spoke up loudly.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "A Cougar is a Mountain Lion." She snapped, before realizing what she had said. "Isn't it?" She added onto the end quickly.

Sarah glared at her. It infuriated her that Lydia continued to dumb herself down for a boy that barely appreciated her.

"Why does she do that?" Erica whispered.

"Because she wants to make him happy."

Erica glanced at the couple further down the table. "Sometimes its like she's the only girl in the world for him."

"Yeah, and other times he'll hit on anything with two legs and a vagina."

The blonde choked on her water, coughing and sputtering as she tried to smother her giggles. Sarah smirked and rubbed her back. "I hate you." She mumbled, wiping her mouth.

"I know." Sarah laughed.

"… probably some homeless tweaker who's going to die anyway."

"Actually Jackson," Stiles spoke up. "I found out who it was." He held out his phone. "Check it out."

The crowded table watched the video in silence.

"I know that guy…" Scott said softly.

"You do?" Sarah asked. "How? And why don't I know him?

Scott shot her a guilty look. "When I used to live with Dad. He was the bus driver."

Sarah nodded sharply and sat back in her seat. Scott turned away, refusing to meet her eyes. One of the major strains on their relationship was the issue of their father. After the incident where she'd been left in a car for fourteen hours, Melissa had practically forbidden any contact with the man. She couldn't however stop Andrew from demanding that Scott live with him- even if that stint had only lasted six months. They'd had a somewhat rocky childhood- though, she supposed, it could have been worse. Stiles, was living proof of that.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun please?" Lydia questioned. "Like... Oh! Where're we're going tomorrow night."

"Excuse me?"

The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes. "You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night right?"

"Oh." Allison mumbled. "We're still thinking of what we should do."

"Well I am not sitting at home again watching Lacrosse videos. So if the four of us are hanging out we are doing something fun." Lydia spoke, fixing Jackson with a glare. She turned to Sarah. "Did you want to come? You and Danny could come together!"

Sarah laughed as Danny winked at her. "Unfortunately Lyds, Danny isn't my type. Maybe next time."

"Are you kidding?" Danny whispered in her ear. "I'm everyone's type."

"But I'm not yours." She smirked.

He nodded. "You have a point Doll."

"Oh how about bowling! You love to bowl!" Lydia told Jackson excitedly.

The boy in question sneered at her. "Yes, with actual competition."

"Rude." Erica muttered.

"Bite me Reyes."

"Make me Whittemore."

"Hey, hey, hey." Allison started, rolling her eyes at the interaction between the two. "Who said that we're not actual competition?"

Sarah shook her head watching as her brother stuttered out an answer to the girl he was besotted with. Pushing her chair back she got to her feet and picked up her tray. "While I absolutely adore watching my brother make a fool of himself, I'm gonna go."

Erica glanced at the bickering four at the end of the table and stood. "I'll come too."

"Later Boo." Sarah blew Danny a kiss as Erica led the way out of the Cafeteria. Danny smirked and caught it, pressing his hand to his heart as he did. The two girls laughed as they ditched their trays at the exit and linked arms, walking back out into the corridors.

* * *

Melissa McCall smiled tiredly as she glanced up from the Nurses' station and spotted her children walking towards her. Her children were the light in her life, the two little reason's she'd gotten the courage to kick out the man who she'd once loved- and now the two large reasons that she smiled everyday, thankful for the blessings life had given her.

"Are my beautiful, talented wonderful children actually bringing me dinner?"

Sarah nodded. "We thought you'd like to skip the Cafeteria food tonight."

Scott held up a bag filled with Chinese take-out and placed it in front of her. "We even brought enough for Lou." He smiled at the older nurse who'd trained Melissa from the moment she'd started at Beacon Hills Memorial.

"You are the most thoughtful, loving, most conniving little con artists ever. You're so not getting the car tomorrow night."

Sarah laughed and smacked Scott's shoulder. "Told you it wouldn't work Ty!"

He flicked her back and turned to their mum. "Mum?"

Melissa grinned and shook her head. "When there's a curfew there's no car. Uh! No complaining kiddo." She snatched the Chinese off the bench and smirked. "I will take this though."

"Mum!"

Handing the Chinese to Lou, Melissa smiled and hugged both her children. "Enough sulking Scotty and let me enjoy the Twin hug. I haven't had one of these in weeks."

"That's cause Scott's been an idiot-"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"Well I see you two have made up." The eldest McCall laughed. Kissing their foreheads she let them go. "Off you go. Bed by eleven! Love you!"

"Love you too Mum." The twins chorused.

The twins watched as Melissa walked back into the office before turning to leave. Sarah, in a fit of childishness gripped her brother's shoulders tightly and jumped up. Not missing a beat Scott grabbed her legs tightly and held her in place.

"Onwards Ty!" She giggled waving her hand in front of his face.

"Keep waving and I'll drop you." He warned semi-seriously.

Sarah scowled. "You wouldn't dare."

"Want a be-" The brunet stopped suddenly his nose catching a somewhat familiar scent. Copper and… _Gasoline_? "Do you smell that?" He hissed.

Sarah slid off his back. "Gasoline."

Scott nodded. "Do you smell the copper?"

"Blood?"

"Hmm." He nodded slowly and stepped forward, following the scent a shaky heartbeat met his ears. Pushing open the door in front of him. A moss-green curtain hung in front of them, obscuring the view of the bed. Scott reached towards the curtain as though in a trance to pull it back when the firm hand of his sister stopped him.

"I don't think we want to do that Ty." Scott stared at her and shook his head. "We should go." Sarah said, tugging on his arm.

Shaking her off Scott swiftly pulled back the curtain, barely smothering a gasp as he recognized the heavily bandaged man on the gurney. "Mr. Meyers?"

Sarah, realizing that talking to the man who'd been brutally injured at their hands wasn't in any way a good idea, slipped out of the room. She hid in an alcove not far away, ready to run interference for Scott in case anyone came to check on the old bus driver. She crushed the urge to bolt when thirty seconds later an ear-piercing scream echoed through the hospital. The distant clatter of feet caused her to ditch her hiding spot- the knowledge that if she stayed where she was she would no doubt be found by her mother spurred her to move as quickly as possible out of the hospital.

As casually as she could she walked down the now busy corridor, hoping, praying that none of the nurses recognized her as 'Melissa's Daughter' and decided to stop her for a 'quick chat'. The luminescent exit sign gleamed in the distance- freedom was within sight. So focused on her dash for the double doors, she didn't expect a strong hand to grip her upper arm, slide a hand across her mouth and yank her backwards into a, she assumed, empty room.

Resisting the urge to scream the brunette struggled against the person's hold, freeing one of her arms from their grip. She slammed her elbow backwards with as much force as she could muster in the short distance, which with her new found strength was quite a lot. Her elbow collided with her captor's stomach. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain, but wasn't released. In last ditch effort she crushed the heel of her boot into the other person's foot, causing their hand to slip from her mouth.

Taking a deep breath in to scream her lungs out she was surprised as the person released her.

A familiar voice met her ears. "Remind me not to do that again."

She spun around. "Derek Hale you absolute motherfucker! I thought someone was trying to kill me!"

"Someone is trying to kill you, but it's not me." He rubbed his side. "That fucking hurt by the way."

Sarah smiled sweetly. "It was meant to."

"Ha ha." He grumbled sarcastically. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "I can only remember bits and pieces."

Derek's eyes widened. "There are too many ears in this hospital."

"What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come with me."

"Huh?" Sarah asked.

"Just follow my lead."

Opening the door, Derek threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her as close as possible. Sarah looked up at him in shock before she remembered his earlier words. _Just follow my lead._ Turning her head into his shoulder she wrapped an arm around his waist. Looking every bit a young happy couple who'd just been visiting a relative at the hospital the pair didn't get a second look as they meandered out of the crisp building, heading towards Derek's shiny black car.

They didn't speak on the short drive to the ruined Hale House- though, Sarah supposed, that could be because everything in Beacon Hills was simply a 'short drive'. Pulling into the over grown driveway Sarah watched as the broken house got closer and closer. It had an odd sort of beauty- nothing like the in-your-face beauty of a piece of pristine artwork, but the eerie kind. The kind that you only find when something that was once warm and loving becomes tarnished and broken.

She glanced at the man beside her. The house held the same sort of mystery that he did. He was an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a leather jacket. A part of her wondered what he was like before everything went wrong in his life- the other part of her didn't want to know, because, selfishly, she found this broken version of him so much better. She'd have to work to get to know him, to get him to trust her and Sarah McCall had never backed down from a challenge.

She as shaken out of her thoughts as the car glided to a stop. The brunette followed him in silence as he led the way to the only livable part of the house.

"Is this the part where you have your wicked way with me?" Sarah blurted as she awkwardly lingered in the doorway of his room.

He smirked. "No, that bit comes later, usually after a nice dinner."

She laughed, thankful that he'd shaken off her unexpected (for both of them) comment. She leant against the door and waited for him to continue.

"What do you remember about last night?"

Sarah sighed. "Bits and pieces. I can remember being at the school, seeing Scott and Allison… and screaming. I remember hearing screams."

Derek nodded. "Is that all?"

"Yes, and it's frustrating as hell."

"Step forward." Derek ordered suddenly. The brunette raised her eyebrows, but did as he asked. "Turn around."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. The older man stepped towards her and pulled the hair off the nape of her neck. She shivered as his fingers lightly traced something hidden slightly below the collar of her jacket.

"What are you doing?" She breathed, afraid that if she spoke too loud the warmth and intimacy of the moment would be stripped away and replaced with something cold and foreign.

Snapping back to reality Derek pulled his hand away. "Your memories have been altered. Replaced by something different, fake."

"Um what?" Sarah asked, accepting that the 'moment' or whatever they'd just had was over.

Derek grasped her hand and pulled it back to trace her finger tops across the wounds he'd discovered.

"I didn't even notice." She whispered.

"You wouldn't have." The twenty-one year old muttered. "Werewolves, particularly Alpha's can alter, remove or add memories. It's not exactly pleasant either. Claws to the back of the neck never are." He shook his head. "It's hard to do, you have to be completely focused to remove a memory, it takes time and more effort and power than most Werewolves have, those that are skilled enough to attempt it never usually do. It's much easier to transfer memories than it is to alter, create or remove them."

"Is that why I can remember bits and pieces?"

Derek nodded. "That's part of the reason. The Alpha that did this is powerful, don't get me wrong, but he attempted to use brute force instead of focus, which has left the obvious gaps in your memories. I'd say that he attempted to remove the original memory and replace it with a fabricated one, but because he forced it the original and fabricated memories have overlapped."

"How do I fix it?"

"The only way I can think of is to go back to the school where it happened and try to break through the fabricated memory."

Sarah rubbed her temples. "Force the fabricated memory to shatter?"

Derek nodded. "Fabricated memories are easy to break if you know they're there. If you don't it's a pretty painful experience."

"Good thing I know it's there then. I've had enough painful experiences to last a lifetime."

The crunching of tires stopped any reply Derek might have had. Raising a finger to his lips Sarah nodded. They'd been through this before and she'd gotten the message loud and clear. _Stay quiet and out of sight._ She watched as Derek stepped towards the window, his eyes darting from side to side as they took in the scene down below.

A hesitant voice met their ears. If she had to hazard a guess, the brunette would have said the man was talking on a two-way radio. The scratchy reply not twelve seconds later confirmed her guess. _Police?_ Her cobalt eyes remained fixed on Derek's still form. She was only slightly surprised as his eyes turned electric blue- what actually shocked her was the sounds of crazed barking from inside what she assumed was the man's car. The sounds of an engine starting and the crunching of leaves caused her to breathe a sigh of relief. She really didn't need to be caught in a not-so abandoned house, on a mattress with a twenty-one year old.

"I know you can hear me Derek. I need your help."

The familiar sound of her brother's voice caused her to smother a disbelieving groan. Scott had _the worst_ possible timing. Couldn't he turn up at Derek's house when she _wasn't_ hiding in his damn bedroom? She fell back against the mattress as Derek slipped out of the room silently, his eyes remaining electric blue as he smirked at her.

She could hear the hollow sound of footsteps on the remaining intact deck and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long afternoon.

"Something happened last night. I did something and I hurt someone. Not who I thought I hurt, but someone else. I thought it was a dream…" Scott sighed. "But apparently it was real."

"You think you attacked the driver."

Sarah could just imagine the suspicious glare on her brother's face. She'd never had that particular glare directed at her, but now, she suspected it was only a matter of time.

"Did you-" Scott began.

Derek cut him off. "No."

"Am I going to hurt someone?" Her brother whispered.

"Yes."

"Could I kill someone?"

"Yes."

"Am I going to kill someone?"

"Probably."

Sarah bit her lip to keep from laughing at Derek's increasingly blunt tone. Scott no doubt deserved it, but she could understand why he had difficulties trusting Derek's help. To Scott, it seemed as though Derek was doing nothing to help him, instead opting to sit back and watch the carnage- but he couldn't have been more wrong. Even though, ninety-five percent of the time Scott refused to listen to her, most of the advice Sarah attempted to give him was paraphrased from Derek.

"Look. I can show you how to remember. I can show you how to control the shift. Even on a full moon. But it's not going to come for free"

Sarah sat up slowly, her interest peaked by Derek's somewhat blasé statement.

"What do you want?"

"You'll find out. But for now, I'm going to give you what you want. Go back to the bus. Go inside. See it. Feel it. Let your senses, sight, smell, touch, let them remember for you."

"That's it? Just go back?" Scott asked petulantly.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Derek snapped.

"I just want to know if I hurt him." Scott whispered.

"No you don't. You want to know if you'll hurt her."

_Ah there it is_ Sarah thought. The truth about Scott's actions had been revealed. She knew that Scott wouldn't reply to that. Why would he? There was no way he'd deny it, not after this morning's panic. She got up and silently moved towards the window watching as Scott jogged towards the woods. They'd always been close, closer than most siblings, they had the twin bond to thank for that, but she couldn't help but feel that soon, they were going to drift apart. The events of that morning had brought them closer again, healing some of the more obvious fractures in their relationship- but they'd been brought together by _fear_.

It was hard, realizing that she was no longer Scott's number one priority. But there wasn't much she could do about it now. Perhaps she'd become someone else's number one? For now, she'd have to settle for second best. Soft footfalls behind her alerted her to Derek's presence.

"What you said to Scott…"

"Could you be more specific?" Derek asked, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"About wanting something in return." Sarah turned around. "What could you possibly want from him?"

Derek lay back on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling in an effort to avoid looking at her. "Loyalty." He muttered. "I want his loyalty."

* * *

"This is a bad idea." Erica muttered as she turned on the heater.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "They're doing it." She gestured to the jeep parked fifteen meters in front of them.

"Oh yes." The blonde muttered as she gripped the steering wheel. "Because those two _always_ come up with the brightest ideas."

Knowing of Scott's plans to return to the school, Sarah had enlisted the help of Erica (and her Mum's civilian car) to follow Scott and Stiles. They'd ended up following them to the school. Not wanting to be caught the two girls had kept a safe distance between their car and the rusty blue jeep, finding a particularly dark patch of shadows to park the car in so they wouldn't accidentally be spotted by Scott and Stiles.

"You may have a point."

"May have?" Erica yelped. "May have! Of course I've got a bloody point woman!"

Sarah shook her head, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "I can hear them, shoosh."

"Well?"

"Stiles is complaining about the fact that he's been relegated to Robin, instead of his usual place of Batman."

The blonde laughed. "Of course he is… Have you told Scott about what Derek said yet?"

Sarah shook her head, her eyes following her brother as he scaled the wire fence with ease. He hadn't noticed their presence, though she attributed that more to his preoccupation with regaining his memories than through any tricks of their own. It wasn't as if they were whispering. Hiding, yes. Whispering, no.

"Why not?"

"Scott refuses to trust anything that comes out of Derek's mouth, even if it's me saying it." Sarah sighed. "He still thinks that Derek is the bad guy."

Erica rubbed her temples. "Have you ever thought of telling Scott that there's another wolf? That the one who bit you wasn't Derek?"

"Oh yeah, and how shall I bring that one up? By the way Scott, Derek didn't actually bite us, it was actually a psycho Alpha Werewolf, who we don't know the identity of. Really though, don't worry about it."

"Yes do that." Erica replied wryly. "And you wonder why you two have issues." She muttered.

"We don't have issues."

"Yes you do."

Sarah sighed. "Maybe a few?"

"More than a few." Erica muttered, knowing full well that the girl beside her heard her loud and clear. "Where were you this afternoon?"

"Scott and I went to the hospital."

"Please tell me you didn't…"

She shook her head. "Not for the reasons you're thinking. Scott wanted to ask Mum for the car for his date tomorrow night, and I wanted to get her and Lou some food that didn't taste like plastic and burnt toast."

"But…?" Erica pressed.

"But nothing. I didn't have an ulterior motive for going to the Hospital." Sarah replied testily.

"So you weren't at all curious about Mr. Meyers?"

"No!" Sarah snapped. "Scott may be, but I for one, am not!"

Erica's eyes widened. "You saw him didn't you?" Her tone was accusatory and with Sarah's already short temper, it immediately rubbed her the wrong way.

"So what if I saw him Erica? I didn't do anything!"

The blonde sat up straight and in a rare show of inner strength, glared at her best friend. "I know that you didn't, so don't you dare try to guilt trip me Sarah Anne."

Sarah let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I'm sorry."

"You've said that a lot lately." Erica replied.

The brunette stared at her hands. "Doesn't mean that I mean it any less."

"He smelled like gasoline." Sarah whispered a few moments later, breaking the comfortable silence that surrounded them. "Gasoline and copper. That's something I've noticed about being a werewolf. Everyone has a single unique scent, some people's are similar, others are… different… his was almost overwhelming."

Erica bit her lip. "You said everyone has one scent… why did he have two?"

"Blood." Sarah replied, her eyes cold. "Copper is the scent of blood."

The two girls jumped as a car horn sounded loudly. Sarah's eyes narrowed as she watched her brother sprint back towards Stiles' jeep, leaping over the metal fence like it wasn't even there. "How is it that he always manages to escape getting caught?"

Erica wrenched the keys in the ignition, causing the car to hum as it warmed up. "I hate to say practice but I'm going to have to say practice."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "My brother, the little delinquent."

Putting the car in reverse, Erica swung the car around in a smooth one-eighty, driving like a stuntman in a fast and furious movie. Though with an Uncle who was an ex-race car driver turned driving instructor it wasn't surprising that Erica drove as if she'd been born behind the wheel. With the blonde's somewhat reckless driving they reached her house only a few minutes later, shaving a good seven minutes off the normal travelling time.

As she shimmied out of the car, Sarah scowled up at the fancy two-story house. Apparently nothing had really changed over summer, the house was still cold and empty, more show-house than home. Beacon Hills, despite the size, was an incredibly affluent town. Expensive cars, big bank accounts and even larger houses were the norm, and Erica was no different. Though her story was a little more tragic than most. Her father had died when she was young, too young to remember the man who loved both her and her mother unconditionally. The eldest son of a wealthy businessman, Ericson Reyes had been born into a world of privilege- and when he died two months before his thirtieth birthday, Arlette had been devastated.

His life insurance was excessive, enough to pay off the house, two cars, and every dime of Erica's future school fees without making a significant dent in the sum. Even though she'd never need to work again, Arlette had thrown herself into the Police Academy, with the infant Erica on her hip, and quickly rose through the ranks, graduating first in her class. Motherly duties had fallen to the wayside as she once again threw herself into her work, anything to forget the death of the man she loved. Though, in her effort to forget the pain of losing her husband she inadvertently neglected her daughter. Sure she lavished the blonde with expensive gifts, took her on expensive holidays, but she no longer knew how to relate to her teenage daughter, which had led to their increasingly strained relationship.

Arlette Reyes was her mother.

But Melissa McCall had raised her.

Melissa was the one who sat both Sarah and Erica down and gave them the 'talk'. She was the one who brought the blonde her first bra, was there for her at every doctor's appointment, and comforted her every time she'd had an epileptic fit.

"Are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to come inside?" Erica's amused voice snapped Sarah back to reality.

She hadn't even realized that she'd been standing on the front step, staring up at the house. The blonde stood in the doorway, amusement clear on her features and she stared questioningly at her friend.

"Uh, yeah." Bounding up the final few steps Sarah slipped under Erica's raised arm and headed straight for the kitchen, which thanks to the elderly housekeeper was always kept fully stocked. "Want anything Eri?" She called, as Erica leisurely walked into the room.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Sarah giggled as she stared into the fridge. "Probably."

"There's white chocolate on the top shelf."

The brunette grinned. White chocolate was her guilty pleasure. It was the only kind of chocolate she liked but she only ever had it now and then. Grabbing the bar of chocolate she shut the fridge and bounced over to her waiting best friend. Erica shook her head at Sarah's antics and linked their arms together as they headed for Erica's bedroom. Popping _What's Your Number_ into the DVD player the two girls lounged on the bed, splitting the bar between them.

Half way through the movie, Erica had finally had enough of the silence and turned to her best friend. "You need to tell Scott."

Sarah crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the T.V. "No."

"Yes." Erica responded stubbornly. She held up a hand as Sarah turned to her. "No Sarah, It's my turn to speak and _yes,_ you will listen to me. Okay, that fight you had with your brother the other day, about him keeping the existence of hunters from you, it's the same basic principle as you keeping the existence of the Alpha from him."

"But-"

"No." The blonde shook her head. "The situation is not different, so don't even try that excuse. Scott is in just as much danger from the Alpha as you are from the Hunters. Just because he doesn't believe a word that comes out of Derek's mouth, doesn't mean he'll be so quick to dismiss what you say."

Sarah pulled her knees up to her chest. "You don't know that." She whispered.

"Yes I do." Erica responded with a smirk. "I know everything remember."

The two girls laughed as levity returned to the conversation. Erica bumped the other girl's shoulder affectionately. It was an unspoken rule in their friendship that if the other was doing something hypocritical or stupid, that the other would sit them down, and point it out. No matter how much pointing out that 'flaw' would hurt.

They fell back into a comfortable silence, watching the bright flickering of the movie across the T.V screen. The silence was broken when Sarah's phone vibrated angrily on the side table. The brunette scowled and picked it up. She didn't appreciate being interrupted during 'best friend time'.

"What?" She grumbled as she held the phone to her ear.

"_You're always so snappy of a night time." _Came the voice on the other end of the line.

Sarah sighed. "What do you want Stiles? Eri and I were in the middle of a movie."

"_Dad left for the hospital twenty minutes ago… The bus driver, he uh, he succumbed to his injuries-"_

"What?" She breathed, shock coursing through her veins. Yes, she knew that he was injured, critically so, but she hadn't expected him to _die._

"_I'm sorry Sare…" Stiles whispered. Despite her somewhat abrasive and prickly persona, Sarah cared a lot more than she let on. He shook his head. "Look, that's not why I called. Scott's-"_

"On his date with Allison." Erica called into the phone.

"_Hey darl." He responded, not at all surprised that the blonde was listening in on their conversation. Sarah and Erica had been a package deal from a young age, so had, he supposed, himself and Scott. The fantastic four, Melissa had often called them when they were children. "Sare, I told Scott and he's, um," Stiles rubbed the back of his neck nervously, he didn't really want to be the one to tell Sarah, but what choice did he have? "He's gone after Derek."_

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me." Sarah growled. "Stiles! Why didn't you stop him?"

"_I am a hundred and forty seven pounds of pale skin and fragile bones! What the fuck did you think I was going to do when he went full wolf and jumped out the goddamn window? Jump out after him and ask him to give me a ride?"_

"Damn it Stiles!" Sarah yelled into the phone, not finding his sarcasm at all amusing. She knew that Scott going after Derek was entirely her fault, and from the sideways look Erica was giving her, the blonde knew it too.

Hindsight was a bitch.

She clenched the hand at her side tightly as she tried to get her breathing under control. Anger bubbled under the surface of her skin… anger at herself for not telling Scott when she had the opportunity, anger at Scott for not listening to her or Derek, angry at Derek for not forcing it into Scott's head, anger at the Alpha for putting them all in this position.

"_Sare…" Stiles called lightly as he listened to the heavy breathing projected by the phone. "Sarah?"_

"What!" She growled, her voice deeper than it was thirty seconds before.

"_You need to calm down."_

Sarah pitched forward as the anger that had flooded her body surged. An animalistic growl tore from her lips. Out of everything Stiles could have said to her, those where the words he picked? The phone fell from her grip in slow motion as she watched her fingernails elongate into razor sharp claws, as she felt her canines pierce her gums.

Erica scrambled backwards as her best friend turned into a predator that was only supposed to exist in a movie. She froze in terror as a feral growl echoed around the room, one of her hands cupped her throat protectively, the other held in front of her in what she hoped was a placating gesture. The blonde knew that she was in danger here; she was under no illusions that she was on top of the food chain anymore- she was nothing more than prey.

Golden eyes met hazel, as everything seemed to stop. Sarah cocked her head to the side as she stared at the vaguely humanoid figure through the red haze that had descended. She watched as the shape in front of her shook minutely fear rolling off of the shape in waves. She took a deep breath and was immediately assaulted with the sweet scent of… _vanilla? _Something in the back of her mind stirred as she let the familiar scent sink into her skin. The wolf-girl lowered her head slightly… perhaps then the shape would stop being so scared.

'_Erica.' _A soft voice in the back of her mind whispered. A flash of blonde hair and a kind smile passed before her mind's eye. _'Friend'_

'_Pack?'_ She questioned silently as she stared at the human in front of her.

'_Pack.' _The voice replied strongly.

Erica lowered her hand slowly as a spark of recognition passed in her best friend's golden eyes before Sarah leapt out of the window, taking off into the woods at the edge of her property. The scared girl took in a shuddering breath before she dived at the phone on the floor.

"_Hello? Hello! Pick up the phone! Somebody pick up the damn pho-"_

"Stiles!" Erica cried, her body shaking thanks to the adrenalin that had flooded her system.

"_Oh god, Erica are you okay? What happened?" Stiles cried as he stepped on the gas pedal of his age old Jeep. The faster he got to her house, the better._

"I- I'm okay." She breathed. "Sare, she didn't hurt me."

"_She was in control?" He yelped in surprise. "How is that possible? It's barely been a week!"_

"No." Erica shook her head. "She wasn't in control, at least not completely. But Stiles, I- I think she recognized me."

"_I don't understand."_

Erica pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. "Sarah told me earlier that everyone has a unique scent, I think that's how she knew me. I think she realized that I was a friend."

"_Oh." Stiles breathed, his eyes widening. "Oh. She recognized you as Pack. She didn't just recognize you as Erica, she recognized you as a part of her pack- She recognized you as a part of her."_

"You're really getting into this whole werewolf thing." She muttered into the phone.

_Stiles grinned boyishly. "Oh you have no idea."_

* * *

The dark, looming expanse of the burnt out Hale house arose in front of her as she sped towards it, an almighty crash echoed from within- Scott had obviously bet her here, which wasn't hard considering his head start. The brunette crashed through the door and flung herself at her unsuspecting brother as he directed his glare at a Derek sized hole in the wall.

Throwing Scott into the stairs, Sarah landed in a crouch, her golden eyes blazing as she watcher her brother tumbled down them for the second time that night. A roar to her right caused her to shrink lower into her crouch, her eyes flicked to the side as she watched Derek stalk towards them. A part of her wanted to flinch away as she at the wolf coming towards her. The same part of her that had declared Erica Pack, declared this wolf dangerous, his eyes were not the safe, golden that she and her brother possessed, but a dangerous electric blue, that promised nothing but pain.

Ignoring her completely Scott picked himself up and charged at Derek who caught his shoulders tightly and swung him around only to shove him, repeatedly, into a nearby wall. Sarah growled. Only she was allowed to push her brother around. Disregarding the part of her that told her to stay out of this fight she launched herself at Derek, managing to catch him around the waist and distract him enough to release his hold on Scott.

Derek snarled as the brunette attempted to pin him to the ground. He flipped her easily and used his weight and size against her effectively barricading her to the ground. He roared loudly, hoping that it would cow her enough that she'd remain on the ground and not involve herself again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt _her._

Letting her go he turned quickly, intercepting a plant of wood that Scott had tried to use to hit him with. He caught it easily and stood, crushing the burnt wood under his hand. Sarah he wouldn't hurt, Scott however, he had no qualms with doing exactly that. Releasing the plant Scott jumped towards him, pure rage in his golden eyes. The older wolf caught him around the throat expertly and body slammed him onto a table. Scott flipped up and wrapped his legs around Derek's neck, sending them both crashing to the floor. Both leapt to their feet exchanging punch after punch before an unexpected third party sent them both crashing to the floor.

"Enough!" Sarah yelled as she stared down at them. In a move Natasha Romanoff would have been proud of, she'd used their focus on each other against them and swiped their legs out from under them with a well-timed kick. "Derek didn't do this Scott, there's another wolf."

"This is all his fault!" Scott exclaimed angrily as he staggered to his feet. "You ruined my life! You destroyed both of our lives! We didn't want this!" He made to attack Derek again but Sarah grabbed him tightly around the waist.

"I said stop!" She yelled angrily. "Jesus Scott! Listen to me! It wasn't Derek!"

"Of course it was!" Scott snapped.

A scowl settled on Sarah's lips before she pushed her brother back and swiped her hand down Scott's shirt. "You see those?" She pointed to the angry red wounds on Scott's exposed chest. "If Derek or I had done that they'd already be healed. Okay? Those scratches and these marks-" She turned around and showed him the claw marks at the base of her neck, "Are from what's called an Alpha. The Alpha is the one that bit us. Not Derek."

"Prove it." Scott growled.

Sarah glowered at him and turned to Derek. She held out her arm. "Do your worst."

"You can't be serious." Derek replied as he stared at her extended arm.

"Stop whining and do it. It's the only way it'll get through his thick skull."

Scott's eyes flicked between the two of them. "What are you- what the hell Sarah!" He yelped loudly as Derek raked his shifted hand down Sarah's arm. The brunette winced as blood began to pool in the wounds.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." She muttered as she held her injured arm to her chest. She bit her lip as; ever so slowly the skin on her arm began to knit back together.

"Jesus Sarah, why did you do that?" Scott asked as he took her arm gently.

She grimaced. "I was proving a point. See how it's healing? And your isn't?" He nodded. "Point proven. Next time you should just listen to me."

"Noted." Scott mumbled. "So there's another?" He directed his question at Derek.

"The three of us are Betas. Only an Alpha has the ability and power needed to turn a human. The problem is, is that we don't know who the Alpha is. But it stands to reason that he's more likely to be foe than friend."

"And why is that?" Scott asked.

Derek's forest green eyes were hard as he responded. "Because most Alpha's give you a choice."

* * *

**Please Review and tell me what you thought! I love hearing from you guys (if you're even out there!)**

**~HN**


	4. Magic Bullet

**AN: So many of you may have gotten the notification for this chapter and gone 'Well, who the heck is The Miller's Daughter?! Well I'm here to tell you that I've changed my name from Heart Nimbus, to well, my new name is obvious. I hope that you guys are still following this story (even after my month-long absences between chapters) and I hope that you enjoy this new addition to Addicted because it kind of had a mind of it's own when I wrote this.**

**Enjoy :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Once again, I don't own Teen Wolf, Jeff Davis (unfortunately for me) still holds that title. If I did own Teen Wolf... Well, Sarah would be real, Stydia would happen and Adian wouldn't have died. AND, my favourite family would get a hell of a lot more screentime.**

* * *

**Addicted**

**Chapter Four**

**Magic Bullet**

* * *

_Previously: _

_She grimaced. "I was proving a point. See how it's healing? And your isn't?" He nodded. "Point proven. Next time you should just listen to me."_

"_Noted." Scott mumbled. "So there's another?" He directed his question at Derek._

"_The three of us are Betas. Only an Alpha has the ability and power needed to turn a human. The problem is, is that we don't know who the Alpha is. But it stands to reason that he's more likely to be foe than friend."_

"_And why is that?" Scott asked._

_Derek's forest green eyes were hard as he responded. "Because most Alpha's give you a choice."_

* * *

_This is ridiculous_ Sarah thought as she crept along a rooftop, that she wasn't entirely convinced, would support her weight. Once again she'd been woken in the middle of the night to go on an _adventure._ Except this time it hadn't been her brother who'd done the waking and it definitely hadn't been Stiles dragging them into the Reserve.

No, it had been Derek tapping at her windowpane at one in the morning.

Surprisingly (or not, depending on which way you looked at it) it hadn't been very hard for him to convince her to help him, once he'd mentioned that he was tracking _The Alpha._ Which lead her to her the situation she currently found herself in, crouching on top of a rickety warehouse roof. She and Derek had split once they'd reached the warehouse district, figuring that covering more ground would be a lot easier if they went in different directions. She thoroughly regretted that decision now, as in an effort to cut off the raging monster, she'd followed it onto the rooftop, only for it to leap far further than she could have predicted. She growled and sprinted after it, skidding to a stop at the edge of the metal roof.

Sarah scowled as she glanced down at the ground then across at the building The Alpha had leapt onto. It had stopped and was staring at her as she judged the distance between rooftops and steeled her nerves.

She could do this.

She could _totally _do this.

She stepped back quickly. Once, twice, three times and paused, locking eyes with the crimson-eyed monster. It was taunting her. Rolling her shoulders she grit her teeth and sprinted for the edge of the rooftop before she lost whatever nerve she had left. Her foot hit the edge and she sprang, flying through the air. Sarah twisted quickly and rolled as she hit the ground, her shoulder catching more weight than she'd intended it to when she'd made the spilt-second decision to roll. Recovering from the jump, she rose from the ground smoothly, her eyes darting from side to side as she searched for The Alpha.

"God damn it!" She growled when she realized that in the time it had taken her to jump, The Alpha had used her distraction to slip away.

Stalking to the edge of the building she grasped the fire escape ladder tightly and slid down it, stopping as she reached a small ledge, fifteen feet from the ground. Flipping to the pavement she growled fiercely and hit the wall beside her in frustration, yelping as part of the brick crumbled under her fist and the metal frame that supported the metal fire escape groaned. Her eyes wide she stepped back, hoping that no one had heard the ominous creaking of the old metal. The creaking stopped and Sarah froze, the night had become entirely too silent, as though it was waiting for something.

The brunette flinched as the sound of a gunshot ripped through the still night air. The accompanying roar that followed the shot told her instantly who'd been attacked. The way her whole body reacted to the roar was proof enough that it had been The _Alpha_ who had been shot. No one else had that kind of unwanted power over her actions. _I hope that fucking hurt_ she thought viciously, glad that the monster was in pain.

"Come on!"

Sarah's eyes widened at the distinctly female scream. The click of a gun being loaded made her shrink back against the wall.

_Hunter _her mind hissed viciously.

She was close, too close to the woman- to the Hunter who probably didn't care if she was friend or foe. She backed up quickly, wincing at every crunch of her boot against the gravel. Her eyes tracked the rooftops, searching for any sign of Derek, her light blue eyes seeing far more than she could have imagined before she'd been turned. She paused when she spotted a familiar figure on top of the rooftop opposite, his glowing blue eyes flashed in her direction for a moment, the warning clear.

_Go._

She nodded, slinking backwards further into the shadows in the alley between two of the warehouses. Sarah hissed as a hand clamped around her mouth and pushed her to the ground behind a dumpster. Familiar features swam before her eyes as she let out a breath.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered.

Before he (for he was a he) could respond another shot rang through the air, a pained howl following. Sarah's head snapped back towards the rooftop, her eyes becoming frantic when she realized that she no longer had a clear view.

"Let me go Scott!" She hissed, struggling against his grip.

"Are you stupid?" Scott growled and held her tightly well aware that even with her newly acquired werewolf strength he was still stronger than her. "That woman has a gun and apparently she's not afraid to use it!"

"I'm trying to help Derek." Sarah snapped.

"Yeah well Derek, can handle himself, you however, I'm not so sure about." Scott growled authoritatively as he tapped her securely in his grip. "Now stay put!"

The crunching of tires caused both of the siblings to freeze again. Leaning back Sarah peered through the thin gap between the dumpster and the wall. She watched as a well-built forty-something man jumped out of a red Chevy Tahoe, and headed straight for the raging woman, catching her upper arm in what looked like a vice-like grip. The brunette felt her brother tense behind her. _Could this be Allison's father? _

"Get in." He ordered pushing her towards the car.

Sarah's eyes followed his stiff movements closely. He had the stance of a military man and the precision of someone who planned every little movement of their body and life- before they even woke up. He had the air of a leader, of someone who was used to being respected and followed. She smirked as she realized something. He was an alpha male. How _ironic._

"What?" The woman sassed, happily mocking her disgruntled companion. "Not even a 'hello, nice to see you?'"

"All I've got to say at the moment is put the assault rifle away before someone notices!" The man hissed, his voice hard as he snatched at the gun.

The blonde held it out of his reach and smirked. "Oh there's the brother I love. We couldn't possibly let anyone think that we're _gun wielding psychos._" She handed over the gun after clicking on the safety. "There were two of them Chris."

"The Alpha?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't know. But one of them tried to kill me."

_Such a shame they missed. _Sarah thought grumpily as she continued to watch them from behind the relative safety of the dumpster.

"Damn it Kate. We need the Beta to lead us to the Alpha. It's a bit hard to do that if they're dead!"

Sarah could just picture the petulant expression on the woman's- Kate's face. "Well, I can't help to kill either of them if one of them kills me first!"

"How long will it take?" Chris asked.

"I give him forty-eight hours." Kate smirked victoriously as she swung herself up into the Chevy. "If that."

The two teens remained in their crouched position for another five minutes as they listened to the car trundle down the road. They'd much rather not get caught if, for some reason, the two hunters decided to come back.

Deeming the area safe, Sarah wrenched herself out of her brother's grip. "God damn it Scott. How many are there?" She growled as she brushed herself off.

"How am I supposed to know?" Scott snapped angrily.

Sarah scowled. "You're dating one! You could at least put that relationship to good use and find out how many Hunters' they have under their command!"

"I'm not going to use Allison!"

"Why not?" The younger McCall asked angrily. "It's not as if she isn't using you!"

Scott clenched his fists angrily. "Well you'd know all about _using,_ now wouldn't you?" The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them and he immediately clapped a hand over his mouth as Sarah stepped back like she'd been physically struck. He reached out to her only for her to take three more hurried steps away. "Sarah, no, I didn't mean-"

Tears formed in her eyes as she stared at her brother. She _knew_ that she'd hurt him with her comment, but even hurt, Scott had never used _that _against her. Never would she have expected her brother, to be so… _cruel. _"No." She whispered. "That's exactly what you meant."

* * *

His arm was _burning_.

Derek scowled as he clutched his arm tighter. All of his attempts to remove the bullet had failed, and the poison had spread quickly, rendering his left arm practically immobile.

Everything was much too loud and far too bright.

He couldn't focus, which made it ridiculously hard to find at least one of the two recently turned Betas. Preferably Sarah if he had the choice, she unlike her brother, actually trusted him. Which, he hoped, would be enough for her to help him. Just like she'd helped him last night.

His eyes narrowed as he spotted a semi-familiar face. He staggered towards the boy, hating how much of his strength had been sapped by the poisoned bullet Kate had, oh so nicely, shot at him. At least it wasn't the first time.

"Where's Sarah McCall."

The boy, Jackson, if he remembered correctly, smirked at him. "Figures you'd be _her_ friend." Jackson muttered, looking him up and down as he lounged against the lockers. "Now why should I tell you?"

"Because I asked you politely." Derek raised himself up to his full height and glared down at the boy. "And I only do that once."

"Okay then tough guy." Jackson laughed. "How about I help you find her… if you tell me what you're selling. So what is it? Prescription pills? I heard that was her favourite. Do you sell to Scott too? I mean no one gets that good at Lacrosse that quickly. Dianabol? HGH?"

Derek stared at the boy as he attempted to process what he'd implied. Was Sarah an_ addict? _"Steroids." He stated. Shaking his head, he turned to leave, his mind racing, no longer because of the poison, but because of what he'd just learned.

"No." Jackson scowled stopping him with a firm grip on his wrist. "Girl Scout cookies! What the hell do you think I'm talking about?" Staring at Derek's increasingly pale face he smirked again. "You should probably stop sampling the merchandise. You look wrecked."

"I'll find her myself." Derek bit out, easily pulling his wrist from the kid's grip. Even with his energy sapped, he was still much stronger than the teenager.

Jackson grabbed Derek's shoulder angrily. "No, we're not done here! Ooof!" The spoiled rich-kid hissed as he found himself shoved, face first, into the locker he'd just slammed shut. The back of his neck seared in pain as Derek pushed him harder against the cool metal.

The older man stared down at his hand, at the extended claws and scowled. He was losing control. Ripping his hand away he let Jackson slump to the floor, and stumbled back down the corridor. The bullet's poison was spreading faster than he'd thought it would.

He was running out of time.

* * *

Erica glanced at the empty seat beside her for the hundredth time as she tried and failed to pay attention to her teacher drone on and on about the Cold War. Irrationally, she'd convinced herself that if she just stared at the empty seat hard enough that Sarah would miraculously show up. She met Stiles' eye across the aisle. Together, they shared all of their classes with the missing brunette, and neither of them had seen her all day. Sarah had worked hard to pull her GPA back up after her little stint in the eighth grade, and her being away from school (something that rarely ever happened, now at least) didn't bode well.

The blonde switched her attention to the clock, watching the seconds as the long hand got closer and closer to three o'clock. When the bell finally rang both her and Stiles shot out of their seats, heading to the door quicker than they'd thought possible.

"Have you seen her?" Stiles asked as he shoved his books into his bag hurriedly.

"No." Erica replied nervously. "I tried to ask Scott but he just stared at me, shook his head and walked off!"

"Damn." Stiles muttered. Leading the blonde to the Jeep he sighed. "Look, it's probably nothing."

Erica nodded as she pulled herself up into the car. "You're right." She nodded again before she turned to Stiles. "It's probably not nothing."

Turning the key in the ignition an uncharacteristically dark expression crossed his face. "I know." Pulling out of the car park, quickly Stiles slammed on the breaks as an unfortunately familiar man collapsed in front of the jeep. "Holy shit!" He yelped as he struggled out of his precious Jeep. "This guy is everywhere!"

Erica stumbled out after him her hazel-eyes wide. "Is that…?"

"Mhmmm." Stiles mumbled as he hesitantly stepped towards him. Thankfully Scott, who'd watched from the bike rack in terror, had already reached him and was attempting to pull Derek's dead weight upright.

"What happened?" Scott growled. He had a fair idea of what had happened, but surely he would have healed by now. The words he'd muttered to his sister flashed in his mind. _"Yeah well Derek, can handle himself, you however, I'm not so sure about."_

"I got shot." Derek groaned. "Hunters."

"Why aren't you healing?" He hissed angrily. Honestly, he didn't have time to deal with Derek's crap, he'd pissed off his sister and he had a date with a girl he really liked. Couldn't this guy give him a damn day?

"I would if I fucking could." Derek snapped, unknowingly answering Scott's unsaid question. "It was a different type of bullet."

Stiles yelped and leant forward. "A silver bullet?" He whispered excitedly.

"No you idiot!" Derek spat, his eyes blazing.

Stiles stepped back quickly, despite what his friends thought, he did have rather impressive self-preservation skills. It was a matter of putting those skills into action that he had trouble with. It wasn't _his_ fault that dangerous situations seemed to draw him in like a magnet. It was not his fault at all.

"Forty-eight hours." Scott whispered, recalling the triumphant words of Allison's aunt from the night before.

"What?" Erica spoke up, finally alerting the two on the ground of her presence. She'd always had a knack for being invisible, for remaining unnoticed in most situations. Unfortunately that invisibility didn't extend to her seizures. She cringed as she remembered people who'd never even taken the time to talk to her as a human being, pulling out their phones to film her as she writhed on the floor on the cafeteria. They'd found is so _amusing_ to watch as she'd lost control of even the most basic bodily functions. She remembered how furious Sarah had been… how her knuckles had been bruised for weeks afterwards because she'd used that fury as a motivator to find, erase and inflict pain on those who'd dared to take a video of her best friend.

At the time Erica hadn't realized how little Sarah cared about her own safety when going up against, in most cases, boys who were older and much, much larger than she was. The brunette had brushed it off, and they'd all let her, accepting the lies she'd told them without much issue, believing her when she said that she'd only thought of protecting her best friend's dignity. It was later when they realized how deep her recklessness had run that they had finally noticed that something was deeply wrong with Sarah.

"Allison's Aunt." Scott replied hesitantly. "She said that you'd only have forty-eight hours…" He trailed off and glanced down at Derek's arm. "I thought she was talking about the Alpha."

Derek groaned. "Clearly not. Where's your sister?"

"Will you stop doing that?" Scott deflected guiltily, as he focused on Derek's rapidly shifting hands and electric blue eyes.

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" The older man bit out, he voice thick with pain. "I _can't!_"

Erica glanced at Stiles for a moment and then down at the pale Derek. For reasons she didn't understand at the moment, Sarah trusted him. Whether that trust was misplaced or not she wasn't sure, but right now, the man needed help, and since Sarah wasn't anywhere to be seen, it was up to them. She knelt down beside him.

"Help me get him up." She commanded lightly, hooking her arm under his uninjured one.

Derek stared at her cautiously, his head cocked slightly to the side. He knew enough about the world and people to know that no one helped someone else without proper motivation or payment. But all he could sense from her was guarded honesty. His wolf was close to the surface, almost humming as the young girl hooked her arm under his.

_Beta_ his wolf whispered happily.

He shut his eyes. _Human_ he responded weakly. _Girl._

The wolf seemed to snicker, as though it knew something he didn't. _Vanilla She-wolf. Good beta. Pack._

_No. _Derek growled.

The wolf's anger surged through him for a moment when suddenly the angry wave of emotions calmed, settled and turned almost… smug. Familiar cobalt eyes, dark hair and pale skin swam before his minds eye, _Mate _the wolf declared strongly, the vision switched to Erica. _Good Beta. Loyal she-wolf. Pack._

Another hand grasped him tightly and he was upright, eyes open, the world spinning on its axis. His wolf retreated to the depths of his mind as reality faded in.

"And why should we help him?" Scott asked as he watched Stiles and Erica struggle to pull Derek's surprisingly heavy body into Stiles' deceptively large jeep.

"Because you need him." She stated, leaving her stubborn friend with no room for a further argument. "Now help me."

Scott sighed and maneuvered Derek into the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep with relative ease. Returning to the driver's side, Erica climbed over the empty seat and into the back without complaint. Not that there was any point complaining. Even if she'd wanted to sit in the front, they'd barely managed to get Derek that far, let alone drag him into the cramped backseat.

Derek grabbed Scott's arm as he leant against the closed door. "I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used."

"What?" Scott asked, "Why?"

The older man's glare intensified. "You're dating an Argent. You have a way in. Figure it out Scott, it's not that difficult."

Erica's eyes narrowed as she watched a bevy of emotions cross Scott's handsome face. Why was he so _guilty?_ "I'll try."

"You'd wanna hope so!" Stiles groused from the drivers seat as he started the ignition. "Cause I refuse to bury a body! Digging one up was enough thank you very…" He trailed off at the increasingly furious glare Derek directed towards him. "Much?" He finished meekly.

"Drive." Derek growled.

"Yep, sure, okay, whatever you want!" Stiles yelped, slamming on the gas as they sped out of the lot.

* * *

Sarah sighed and buried her face deeper into her pillow. She'd stayed in variations of that position the entire day, not having any desire whatsoever to leave the cozy comforts of her soft bed. Despite the best efforts of her mother, she refused to even speak about why she wanted to stay firmly in that position for the entire day.

Scott had vainly, tried to convince Melissa that she was simply sick, but his guilt about the real reason his sister adamantly refused to leave the security of her duvet had shone through his obvious and pathetic attempt at lying to their mother. Melissa had immediately pounced on his hesitation, and just like pulling teeth, had yanked the (heavily censored) story out of him. Even without her now perfect hearing Sarah would have easily heard the angry and increasingly disappointed voice of her Mum as she chewed out her twin.

On a good day Sarah would have stepped in and calmed the situation, saving her twin from the lecture.

Unfortunately for him, it wasn't a good day and Sarah wasn't in a forgiving mood.

She pulled the covers tighter around her slim frame and clenched her eyes shut. She'd been doing so well… she was finally getting _better._ Apparently all it would take for eight months hard work to come crumbling down were ten seemingly innocent words. Funny how that worked...

Later, once Scott had left for School, Melissa had slipped into Sarah's bedroom and sat down beside her. Sarah had never been more thankful for the mum she had been blessed with. The older woman hadn't said a word, just sat in the bed beside her daughter, a pillow behind her back as Sarah quietly curled up beside her. They'd stayed that way for hours until Melissa had to leave for work.

Unfortunately her Mum leaving meant that she was left alone with her thoughts. Her usual mentality of 'it is what it is' had been replaced with 'I hate everyone', with Scott firmly taking home the third top spot. Luckily for him, he hadn't quite overtaken their douchebag father or the Alpha that was sadistically stalking them. Perhaps she was being slightly over dramatic, but if anyone had the _right_ to be over dramatic, it would probably be her.

Her life hadn't exactly been smooth sailing_._

She was a sixteen-year old girl with abandonment issues and a _drug habit_.

Like father like daughter.

How deliciously _ironic…_

A hurried knock on the door pulled her from her musings. Sarah peaked out from under the safety of her duvet and sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was get out of bed and answer the door. Talking to people required more effort and patients than what she currently had at her disposal. Rolling over she pulled the covers over her head once more. The people she cared about had keys anyway. If they were really that desperate, they'd use them. The knock sounded again. Louder this time, more persistent. Stubbornly she put her hands over her ears and attempted to block the sound out. She was not moving.

Sarah smirked as she distantly heard the door open followed by a muted thump and a loud curse. "God damn it Sarah! Get your ass down here, we need your help!"

She clamped her hands tighter over her ears and buried deeper under her duvet. The brunette withheld a groan as footsteps sounded on the stairs, her door banged open and her covers were whipped off her, all in the space of thirty-seven seconds.

"You have got to be joking." Sarah whined, her eyes still tightly shut.

"No I am not fucking joking, where the hell have you been!"

Sarah sighed at the obviously angry voice. "It's a little obvious don't cha think?"

"Don't sass me Sarah Anne." Erica growled. "I have had a hell of a day! Do you have any idea how scared Stiles and I were? You never showed up and didn't reply to any of our texts! Scott refused to talk to either of us, and Melissa wouldn't answer her phone! Then fucking _Derek_ showed up at school and Stiles almost hit him with the damn jeep and we think he's dying-"

"Wait what?" Sarah's eyes snapped open as she shot upright. "Repeat that last bit."

Erica rolled her eyes. Deflection was a McCall family favourite. "Derek Hale is bleeding all over your kitchen floor."

"He's what?" The brunette yelped as she struggled out of bed, getting caught up in the covers as she did, crashing loudly to the floor. "Bloody hell." She growled, untangling herself from the sheets she stood swiftly and made a beeline for her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of jeans and grabbing a jacket before pulling them both on quickly.

Erica shook her head as Sarah raced down the stairs, the blonde following at a more sedate pace. Reaching the kitchen, she skidded to a stop, taking in the sight before her. Derek sat slumped against the stainless steel fridge, his head back, resting against the cool metal, Stiles sat on the island staring down at the older man in what Sarah assumed was horror with a tinge of disgust, if she interpreted his sickly glance correctly.

"What the hell is going on?" She exclaimed loudly, startling both men.

"Well, you see-" Stiles started, only to be cut off by Derek.

"Kate Argent shot me and Scott's gone to find out what she used because if he doesn't, I'll die."

Sarah knelt beside her pale friend (were they friends?) and pushed his jacket off his shoulders. "I take it that the bullet was the reason you're not healing?"

He nodded, wincing as she slowly peeled his sleeve pack off the wound.

"Why come here?"

"Scott suggested Deaton's but he doesn't close til six, and we needed somewhere to dump him since he didn't want to go home." Stiles replied as he hopped off the bench and grabbed a glass out of the cupboards.

Sarah cocked her head to the side, examining the wound. What little first aid she knew was useless in this situation, they didn't exactly cover dealing with bullet wounds in basic first aid training. "He'd have been stupid to go home." She muttered. "The Hunters' know where he lives. He'd be a sitting duck." She looked up, her eyes locking with Derek's for a moment before she blushed and looked away, her cheeks flaming. "How long did Scott say he'd be?"

"Considering he's having a lovely dinner with his favourite new _family_ I'd say that he'll be a while." Erica stated, her tone of voice revealing just how much she despised the Argents.

Sarah nodded absently. Scott _hated_ Derek and despite the long conversation they'd had the other night, he still refused to trust the older man. Her brother was foolish, headstrong and entirely too much like their father to ever trust what Derek had to say. Which unfortunately worked against Derek in this situation. She glanced back down at Derek's arm, the angry red wound catching her attention immediately.

"What happens if Scott doesn't come through with the bullet?" She asked him softly. Scott hadn't exactly been reliable lately.

"I have a plan." Derek groaned, propping himself upright. Before anyone could react, he pitched forward, black liquid spewing from his mouth like a waterfall.

Stiles jumped backwards onto the center island and lifted his toes in the air, trying to get as far away from the black goo as possible. Erica however made a beeline for the sink, her weak stomach telling her exactly how it felt about the situation as she retched over the basin.

"Jesus Christ." Sarah muttered as she pushed Derek up right once more. "What was that?"

"It's my body… it's trying to heal itself." He wheezed.

She shook her head. "Yeah well, it's not work…" The distant sound of a car door slamming caused both werewolves to freeze. She turned to Stiles. "Get him out of here now!"

"Wait what?" Stiles yelped. "Have you seen him?" He gestured wildly at Derek's prone and pale form.

"Do you want my mother to see him?" Sarah retorted swiftly as she hooked her hands underneath Derek's arms and hoisted him upright, all the while listening intently for her mother's footsteps on the path outside.

"I thought she was at work!" Stiles spluttered, his panic obvious.

Erica glared at him, regaining her composure and moving to help Sarah with Derek. "Well she's not going to be there all night genius!"

"Why me?" Stiles whined piteously as he took Sarah's place at Derek's side. "We'll meet you at Deaton's Clinic."

"Go!" The brunette ordered, shooing them out the backdoor. Just as she slammed the door behind them she heard the distinct metallic click of a key turning in the lock and her mother's voice calling her name.

"Sare?"

Sarah frantically pulled out tea towels to mop up the mess Derek had accidentally left behind. "In here Mum!"

* * *

Getting Derek back into the Jeep had been more of a struggle than Stiles and Erica had expected, especially since they didn't have the added strength of their friends. But, eventually they'd managed, and now, as they tried to drag his practically unconscious body into the Animal Clinic, they really wished that they were the one's who'd been bitten.

"Just dump him there for a minute." Stiles suggested, pointing at the stacks of bagged dog food.

Erica shook her head. "If we put him down we'll never get him back up!"

"If we don't put him down I'm going to fucking drop him on his ass." The lanky boy groaned loudly.

The shorter blonde didn't reply, but even she was feeling Derek's deadweight dragging her down. Gently propping the older man against the stacks, Erica rummaged behind the dumpster for the hidden spare key as Stiles checked his phone.

"Does Nordic Blue Monkshood mean anything to you?" He asked, glancing up from the glowing screen.

Derek's eyes darkened. "It's a rare form of Wolfsbane… he has to bring me the bullet."

"Yes we'd gathered that." Stiles snapped sarcastically.

Erica shook her head and unlocked the door, thankful that Deaton didn't have an alarm system. "Quit being a dick and get him inside."

Stiles flipped her off, but did as she said, heaving Derek upright with strength she didn't know he actually possessed. The sterile environment of the examination room was a stark contrast to the McCall's kitchen, Erica noted as she glanced around the room curiously- it was her first time in the Animal Clinic.

Derek swayed dangerously as Stiles deposited him against the stainless steel bench, his already pale skin loosing what little colour he had left.

"Now would be a really good time to tell us that back-up plan." Erica stated as she watched him struggle to keep on his feet.

He nodded and turned around swiftly, ignoring the sudden rush of nausea. Wrenching open a drawer he closed it, before moving to the next one. This pattern continued for a few moments before he stopped and grasped a handsaw, setting it back down on the examination table with a loud clang.

"You're going to cut off my arm."

"I'm sorry." Stiles muttered. "I think we, misheard you."

Derek shook his head and awkwardly pulled off his shirt. "If it works I'll heal."

Stiles covered his hand with his mouth, swallowing thickly. "You know what." He gulped nervously. "It doesn't even look that bad! Nothing that some antibiotics and a good nights sleep, wouldn't fix, right?"

"If the infection reaches my heart, it'll kill me."

"Positivity really just isn't in your vocabulary is it?" The lanky boy quipped.

Erica shook her head, glancing between the two. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No!" Stiles yelped. "This is not a good idea! I can't chop off an arm!"

"You faint at the sight of blood?" Derek groaned loudly.

"No! But I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!"

"Fine." The older man growled. "You do it." He ordered Erica.

"And you think I'm a better option?" Erica gaped. "You're insane."

Derek glared at her. "Better insane, than dead."

* * *

Sarah slumped against the wall beside her bedroom door, her hand over her eyes. It had taken her a good half an hour to slip out from under the watchful eyes of her Mum. The only reason she'd managed to do so was because she'd pleaded tiredness. Melissa had nodded, and allowed her to do so, but only after locking the medicine cabinet in her and Scott's joint en suite bathroom.

"_Just to be safe." _Her mum had whispered.

The brunette raked her hand through her hair roughly. She _hated _that. She hated that her Mum had to lock the medicine cabinets in the house because she was still in danger of a relapse. She hated that she'd almost gotten her mother, the most important person in her life, in trouble because she couldn't control her addiction long enough to stop herself stealing pain pills from the hospital. She hated that Scott had used her addiction against her. But most of all, she hated that she was _weak._

The back of her head hit the wall softly. Her life was a long list of complications, one after the other they just kept piling up and now, after she'd _promised _her Mum that she'd never lie to her again, here she was, drowning in her lies. She didn't want to be this person anymore. She didn't want to be the person who brought her Mum to tears.

She didn't want to be her _Father._

Sarah shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Pushing the destructive thoughts to the back of her mind she pushed off from the wall and grabbed her jacket off the chair in the corner. Heading to the window, she was glad that over summer she'd conned John Stilinski into fixing the god-awful creaking noise her window used to make whenever someone tried to open it. It slid open easily without a sound, causing the brunette to smile slightly as she stepped through, ducking her head so she wouldn't hit it as she slipped outside.

Crouching on the roof, she listened carefully for her Mother's footsteps. Distantly she could hear the soft drone of the TV, her Mum's steady breathing and the rustle of pages. She breathed a sigh of relief. If her Mum was buried nose-deep in a book, she wouldn't come and check in on her. Creeping to the edge she judged the distance between the roof and the ground quickly, before taking a leap of faith and hoping she wouldn't breaks something.

Sarah smirked as she landed unscathed. It was times like these when she truly appreciated being a werewolf. It was handy, knowing that jumping off a roof (not that she'd ever really done that before) wouldn't hurt, or break a bone, and even if it did, she'd heal within a few hours. Standing smoothly she rolled her shoulders back, breathing deeply as her spine popped loudly.

Normally it would take around twelve minutes or so, by car to get to Deaton's, twenty if you rode a bike. She glanced down at her watch. The analog clock read quarter past seven. Sarah set off at a jog, falling into a steady rhythm quickly. It wasn't until she reached the Animal Clinic and glanced down at her watch that she realized exactly how fast she was, even in human form.

Seven twenty one.

It had only taken six minutes. She was faster than a _car. _She smiled brightly despite the situation as she bounced on the balls of her feet. How many people could claim that they were faster than modern machinery? She giggled lightly and jogged around to the back of the clinic, feeling slightly more like herself after the short run.

"_Look, I don't think I should do this-" _She heard Stiles exclaim, his voice more high pitched than normal. _"I mean, if I cut off your arm, what's to stop Sarah from doing the same thing to me when she gets here?"_

Sarah gritted her teeth. _That was his brilliant back up plan? _She thought wryly. Pulling the door open she slipped through silently and placed her palm flat on the examination room door and pushed it open. Leaning against the door she scowled as she took in the sight in front of her. Derek was leaning over the stainless steel table completely shirtless, a light blue tourniquet tight around the top of his arm as Stiles held a motorized hand saw just below the band. Erica had her eyes tightly shut as she lent over the sink. Sarah grinned slightly, still finding amusement in Erica's weak stomach.

"Stiles!" She called catching his attention. The brunet boy jumped and the saw slipped, cutting both his hand and Derek's arm as he dropped it in shock. He cursed loudly clutching his bloodied hand, as Sarah jumped forward, catching the saw before it hit the ground.

"Why do you _do_ that?" Stiles cried in exasperation as he shoved Erica lightly away from the sink. Reaching for the tap he turned it on, and held his palm beneath the stream.

Sarah grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to drop it."

Erica shook her head as pulled a bandage out of the cupboard. "You should have, he's a bloody klutz!"

The brunette grinned and stepped towards Derek. She yanked the tourniquet off his arm roughly. "This was your brilliant back-up plan? Cutting off your arm?"

Derek scowled at her, but didn't respond.

"Don't scowl at me Derek Hale. What good would you be with only one arm?" She shook her head and turned her gaze back down to his arm. She lightly traced the raised inky black veins up his arm watching as they seemed to spread even more aggressively over his bicep, the lack of a tourniquet obviously not doing much to help. Her fingers danced around his slowly healing wound from the saw and continued up his arm. "Does it hurt?"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes following her dainty fingers as they continued to trace the spread of the poison in his veins. "Not as much as you'd think." He muttered, his eyes meeting hers.

Erica turned away from the pair, a small smile on her face. She almost felt like she was intruding on a moment between lovers, not a moment between two supposed friends. Her eye catch Stiles' and he smirked at her, apparently she wasn't the only one who'd noticed the chemistry between the two. When they were children, She and Scott had always been of the opinion that Sarah and Stiles would end up together, but they'd quickly disproved that idea when they'd been twelve. They'd kissed once and promptly decided that it was entirely too much like kissing a sibling. From then on, their relationship had remained wholly platonic, something that had slightly disappointed both John Stilinski and Melissa McCall.

The blonde wound the bandage tightly around the gauze she'd placed on Stiles' hand and secured it easily. Stiles glanced down at the bandage, then back up at Erica. "Thanks sweets." His eyes wandered to the two werewolves, still lost in each other's eyes. "You know, I'm glad she came when she did. She saved me from a lifetime of nightmares and hours of therapy."

Erica grinned and shoved him lightly. "How do you think I felt? S has always had excellent timing."

"What the hell is going on?"

Four pairs of eyes shot to the figure standing in the doorway, bike helmet in had as he glared at the two people in the center of the room. Three things happened in quick succession as Scott dumped his bag in the corner. First, Sarah jumped away from Derek, as she finally seemed to process exactly how close she was to Derek, colliding with Scott as she did. The twins crashed to the ground, taking a metal rack with them, the room echoing with the sound of metal hitting concrete. Sarah landed on her brother's arm, causing him to release the bullet he was holding as a reflex. Stiles and Erica gaped at the their friends and dove for the bullet as it rolled towards a grate in the floor, narrowly missing Derek, whose eyes had rolled to the back of his head and collapsed in a dead faint.

"I can't reach it!" Stiles shouted, his hand straining as he tried to reach the bullet sitting innocently in the bed of the grate. He glanced towards Erica who shook her head. She couldn't reach it either.

"Derek!" Sarah yelled, spotting his prone form. Untangling from her brother without a second glance, she was by his side in an instant, attempting to shake him awake.

Scott shoved Stiles aside. "Help Sarah." He ordered, shoving his hand in the grate.

Stiles glared at his friend but complied, rushing to the brunette's side. "Shaking him isn't going to work, but this might." He took a deep breath. "Please don't kill me." He mumbled, leaning back, his fist clenching. With all his strength (which admittedly, wasn't much compared to a werewolf), he slammed his uninjured fist into Derek's face, hoping that he'd remain alive after the older make woke.

Derek's eyes snapped open, causing Sarah to hang her head in relief, her hand still resting half behind his head. She pulled him up smoothly, taking the majority of his weight.

Scott yelped triumphantly and stood up, revealing his partially shifted hand, the bullet snugly held between two of his claws.

"Bring it here." Derek ordered weakly, swaying against Sarah's hold. He took the bullet from Scott's hand lightly and winced before biting the cap off between his teeth. Tipping it up, he poured a tablespoon-sized amount onto the table. Sarah stared at the innocent looking purple herbs for a moment, wondering what possible damage something so _pretty_ could have done. Derek pulled a zippo lighter from the front pocket of his jeans and lit it easily, lowering the flame to the herbs, Sarah was shocked to see it spark dangerously, and then burst into large blue flames.

"What now?" Stiles wondered, staring between the herbs and the sickly older man.

Derek lent forward scooping the pile into his palm he grit his teeth. "This." He replied before slapping the herbs onto his other arm, using his thumb to push the concoction deeper into his wound. The pain struck him instantly, causing him to scream loudly as he fell to the ground, having purposely pulled away from Sarah. The brunette dropped to the ground beside him and held her hand over his, to both comfort him and make sure that he didn't pull his hand away before it worked. She felt the muscles in his arm ripple and contract as he shifted between his human and wolf forms, biting back an agonized howl as he did. Suddenly he stopped, falling to the ground limply, the wound glowing for a moment as the raised black veins retracted and vanished, the angry red wound losing its colour as it faded and healed.

"That was awesome!" Stiles yelled as he stared between the two werewolves on the ground. "Yes!" He smirked as he turned back to Erica.

"You and I have a very different definition of awesome." The blonde muttered, staring past her hyperactive friend to the girl on the ground.

For the second time that night Sarah hung her head in relief as she leant over Derek Hale. "Don't do that again." She whispered, low enough so only he'd hear her.

Breathing deeply he nodded and sat up easily. He rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck, feeling almost normal for the first time in over thirty-six hours.

"You okay?" Scott asked glaring at Derek. He was all too aware of the growing closeness between his sister and the older man, and to say he was unimpressed was an understatement. He was _furious._ Sarah deserved the whole world, not this _werewolf_ who brought death wherever he trod.

"Yeah." Derek replied easily, his cold façade returning instantly. He held his hand out to the girl on the floor, the façade cracking slightly as she stared up at him in amusement. "Except for the agonizing pain." He quipped, liking the smirk that had fallen on her lips.

Stiles grinned. "I'm guessing the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health."

"Oh, I don't know." Sarah stated, keeping her face blank. Erica, recognizing the glint in her best friend's eyes hid her smile behind her hand. "Perhaps he should stay with you for the night Stiles, you know, just incase he isn't… one hundred percent."

Stiles gaped at her and he wasn't the only one, Derek stared at the brunette beside him like she'd lost her mind. "You're kidding right? You might not give anything away, but Erica's hand over her mouth is a tell tale sign that you're about to do something I won't approve of."

Erica shoved her hand in her pocket. "You don't approve cause she's doing it to you."

"Damn right." He smirked.

Derek relaxed slightly beside the brunette. He wasn't quite used to her sense of humor, heck, he wasn't quite used to _her._ But he was looking forward to the day he was. He got the feeling that he'd be a fool to pass on the chance to get to know Sarah McCall. She didn't even make it hard, she had no idea just how _easy_ it was with her, she had no idea the _allure_ she held for him. The girl in question threw his top towards him, her eyes glittering with mirth as she blatantly raked her eyes up his chest. Catching his eyes she smirked. Derek retracted his previous statement. Maybe the pretty brunette wolf had a fair idea of the effect she had on him, she just enjoyed it too much to complain.

"Okay!" Scott yelled his eyes locked on the exchange between Derek and Sarah. "We saved your life, which means that you're going to do something for us."

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked loudly. "He doesn't owe us anything Scott! He's a _friend_. You do remember what that means right?"

Her brother glared at her balefully. "The day he becomes a friend is the day I happily welcome dear old Dad back home! You owe us, and I'm cashing in. We saved your life, so from now on, you're going to leave us alone."

Sarah glared at her brother, her cobalt eyes flashing furiously. "You don't speak for me Scott McCall!"

"Stay out of this!" Scott snapped. "If you don't stay away from me, and from_ her-_" He directed the last comment towards his sister. "I'll go straight to the Argents' and I will tell them everything!"

Derek glared at the teenager in front of him. Scott was making it increasingly hard to control his temper something with frustrated him to no end. He could feel his wolf stirring, wanting to make an appearance, wanting to force the _upstart pup_ into submission. He clenched his fists tightly. Now was not the time to get angry.

"You think they can help you?" He spat, his voice betraying his anger. "Do you think that they will listen to _you?_ I'm sure they'd be glad to. Especially once they found out what. You. Are."

"Why not?" Scott retorted. "They're a lot fricking nicer than you are!"

Sarah stared at her brother in absolute disbelief. "You'd sell us out?" She whispered. She knew that he was angry, that he loathed what he'd become and the responsibilities that came with it, but she didn't think that he'd go so far as to betray them to their not-so-friendly neighbourhood hunters. "What?" She laughed bitterly, tears springing to her eyes. "You think that if you hand over one of your own on a silver platter they'd pat you on the head, give you a Scooby Snack and send you on your way with their blessing to date Allison?"

The look in Scott's eyes spoke louder than anything he could have said in his defense.

"What reality are you living in Scott?" Sarah asked loudly. "Certainly not the same one as me, because I could have sworn that the Argents were the one's who'd committed mass genocide not six years ago!" She shook her head and turned to Erica and Stiles, who'd stayed blissfully silent through the whole exchange. "Do you remember Maria and Henry?" Derek started, his whole body freezing as he stared at the brunette in horror. "They were in our fifth grade core class, remember? The other set of twins." The two humans nodded, wary of where Sarah was taking this trip down memory lane. She turned her furious eyes back on her brother. "Or what about Cora? I'm sure you remember her. You used to have quite the _crush."_

"Sarah…" Scott bit his lip, realizing just how far he'd pushed her.

"Do. You. Remember. Them?" She growled.

He hung his head. "Yes."

"Well then maybe you've forgotten their last name." Sarah spat, she stepped in front of Derek, her hand finding his behind her back, away from the judgmental eyes of her brother. "I'm sure you remember how devastated you were, finding out what had happened to them. They were our _friends,_ yet you can't extend the same _courtesy_ to their brother and cousin, but you're happy to throw your lot in with their _murderers!"_

"It's not the same-" Scott tried only to be cut off this time, by Derek.

"You want proof? Is that it?" Derek growled. He pulled his hand from Sarah's as he stepped forward, his whole demeanor having changed- in a split-second he'd turned from hunted to Hunter. He'd had more than enough of this night, from Scott's skewed moral compass to Sarah's admission that the four teenagers had known his family before the fire. He'd had _enough._ "Do you want to see how _nice_ the Argent's truly are? Huh?"

* * *

Derek drove in silence as he followed the much too familiar roads to the Beacon Crossing Home, at a speed that regular humans wouldn't have been able to drive at without the high possibility of an accident. Sarah sat in the basically non-existent back seat of Derek's flashy Camaro, her arms folded over her chest in the universal sign of someone who was obviously pissed off, but still had to deal with the object of her anger. Scott fidgeted uncomfortably in the front seat the last place he wanted to be at the moment was in the presence of two extremely angry werewolves. Especially since one of those was his sister, whom he was already in the proverbial dog house with.

Derek turned the car down a long driveway, tall oaks passing slowly as he shifted down gears. Gravel crunched beneath the Camaro's tires, the sound cutting through the awkward silence like a knife. Pulling up to the parking lot, Derek maneuvered the car into a spot with the ease of a practiced driver and cut the ignition, breathing deeply as he clenched his hands around the steering wheel. It never got any easier coming here, and he highly doubted that it ever would. All it did was remind him of what he'd lost, and that was never easy.

Leaning forward in her seat Sarah hesitated for a moment before she rested her hand on Derek's tense shoulder. He thumb rubbed what she hoped were comforting circles, what she did seemed to work however, because she began to feel him relax under her touch. Glancing at her brother out of the corner of her eye she was glad that Stiles had taken Erica home. Scott would inevitably have another tantrum, and she wanted them out of the crossfire, especially if she too, had a meltdown.

"What are we doing here?" Scott asked nervously as he stared at the brightly lit building in front of them. 'Beacon Crossing Home' was spelt out in neatly spaced metal lettering across the top of the entrance, a path with flowers on either side lead to said entrance. It would have been rather welcoming in the daylight, but of a night, all it did was make the building look kind of… sad.

Derek didn't respond, instead, opening his door and stepping out into the cold night. He leant down and flicked his seat forward, holding out his hand to Sarah to help her out. Scott glared at the action as he too got out of the car. Slamming the door shut, Derek turned on his heel and marched towards the entrance of the Home. He greeted the matronly woman behind the desk with a familiarity that immediately set Sarah on edge. The fact that he was familiar with this place made her uncomfortable, it was too white, too sterile, and far too cold and impersonal. It wasn't a place where life flourished, a place like the hospital where with every death, a life was saved or brought into the world by the smiling faces of the midwives, but a place where people went to die, a place where people were left behind and forgotten.

Shaking her head she followed Derek through the maze of corridors closely, her eyes resting on his tense shoulders. They trio came to a stop outside of an inconspicuous white door, so like the many others along this stretch of corridor, part of her wondered just how Derek knew them apart. She supposed that with the amount of times he'd been here, judging from his familiarity of patrons and patients alike, he would have had the route to this room memorized. The door to the room opened suddenly, causing both McCall's to step back and Derek to flinch slightly.

"Derek!" The red headed woman smiled.

She was dressed in the same crisp white uniform that the nurses here seemed to favour, her name tag (Belinda) resting perkily just below the collar. The woman placed her hand on Derek's arm, her smile widening slightly. Sarah's hackles immediately went up, her wolf stirring in the back of her mind dangerously. There was something about the red-haired nurse (Sarah had forgotten her name already and not because she as jealous, no not at all, but because her name wasn't in any way important) that wasn't quite right, something shifty that she couldn't quite explain.

"I was just about to help him into bed, but he'd be so glad to see you." The woman simpered.

"Thank you." Derek replied softly, entering the room without another word. Scott followed straight behind him, but Sarah lingered in the corridor, staring at the red-haired woman. Her eyes narrowed as the woman's smile dropped into an annoyed scowl.

"Was there something you wanted?" The woman asked coldly.

_For you to leave_ Sarah wanted to retort, but held her tongue, knowing that now was not the time to start something. Shaking her head she followed her brother into the room, glancing over her shoulder at the read head. As she did, her eyes caught the brass nameplate that hung on the door. 'P. Hale L.T.C'. She lowered her head. How could she have forgotten?

* * *

_He took a deep breath. "This is Peter."_

"_Brother?"_

_Derek shook his head, "Uncle. He's been in a coma since the fire."_

* * *

"Who is he?" Her brother asked softly, causing her to turn around.

"Scott." She warned.

"My Uncle." Derek responded, his voice flat. Sarah wanted to hug him, to hold his hand, to do something other than stand there frozen in her abject horror with tears welling in her eyes. "Peter Hale."

Scott stared at the wheel chair bound man, still not quite comprehending what this was supposed to show him. "Is he like you?" He glanced at Derek out of the corner of his eye. "A werewolf?"

"He was. Now, he's barely even human." He clenched his fists. "Six years ago, Laura and I were at school. Henry, Maria and Cora were sick, otherwise they would have been…" He shook his head, trying to avoid becoming lost in a memory. "Our house caught fire. Eleven people were trapped inside. My Parents, My Grandfather, My Aunt and Uncle, Henry and Maria, Peter, Louis, Erin and-" His breath hitched. "Cora. Peter was the only survivor."

Scott hung his head, hating that he was about to ask this next question. "What makes you so sure that the Argents set the fire?"

"Scott!" Sarah yelped. She couldn't believe him, couldn't believe that he had the audacity to ask that question _here_, to the man whose family had been decimated by that fire.

"They were the only ones that knew about us."

"Then they had a reason." Scott replied softly.

Sarah stared at her brother, fury coursing through her veins. She couldn't believe that those words had come from his mouth. From the sweet older brother that had held her hand when she was scared, or kissed her forehead and rubbed her back after having a panic attack. Her thoughts returned to the night before, when yet another cruel set of words had tumbled from his lips. Perhaps it was time to come to terms with that Scott no longer being a part of her life.

"What, possible reason could they have had for _murdering_ eleven innocent people?" Derek growled, his voice shaking from anger. "The Argents claim to follow a code, but they killed infants, children… _humans_ in that fire! What justifies this?" He turned his uncle's chair around violently, revealing the heavily scarred right side of Peter's body. Sarah hung her head. It was no wonder Peter was classified as Long Term Care. "The claim that they'll only kill an _adult_ if they've spilled innocent blood and only if there is absolute proof. What damage had Cora done? She was a child! Or Louis? He could barely roll over, what proof was there that he'd even turn, let alone that he'd 'spilled innocent blood'? This is what they do!" Derek stepped into Scott's personal space, his eyes taking on a distinctly dangerous glint. "This is what Allison will do."

The tow men were breathing heavily when the red-haired nurse knocked lightly on the wall beside the door. "Visiting hours are over Derek, even for you. You can come back in the morning if you like?"

Derek stared at the Nurse, and shook his head. "I don't think I'll be back for a while. Take good care of him."

The redhead nodded. "I always do."

Derek turned on his heel and took Sarah's hand oblivious to the glares he received in doing so. He led her from the room quickly, not knowing and not caring if Scott had followed them. Reaching his car he unlinked his fingers from Sarah's and fished in his pocket for his keys. Unlocking his car, he opened the passenger side, smiling slightly as Sarah slid in without hesitation. Striding to the drivers side he caught sight of Scott walking towards them in a daze.

"Find your own way home." He called over the top of the car.

Sliding into his seat he slammed the door roughly and shoved the clutch in angrily, jolting the car into reverse. The tires squealed against the gravel as he rapidly shifted up through the gears as he sped down the driveway and onto the highway. He glanced at the girl beside him, confident that even with his eyes off the road when he was driving at over ninety miles-per-hour, he wouldn't crash.

"Do you want me to take you home?" He asked softly.

Sarah shook her head. She didn't want to go home. She loved her mother, she really did, but she wasn't ready to be stared at like a ticking time bomb. She wasn't ready to face her brother, wasn't ready to admit that there was something wrong and she wasn't ready to admit that their priorities had changed since their unfortunate transformation. "No, anywhere but home."

At the speed Derek was driving, it didn't take long to reach the dilapidated Hale mansion. As she ascended the rickety staircase, she couldn't help but look at the house in a new light. She imagined the central staircase, as it should have been- large, opulent, pristine. She imagined polished hardwood floors, laughter echoing around the foyer as two black haired teens slid down the banisters. The ghost of a small girl ran down the corridor at the top of the stairs giggling loudly as she was thrown easily over the shoulder of an elderly man.

Derek turned when he reached the top of the staircase, realizing that Sarah had stopped half way up, her hand resting on the banister, a soft smile on her lips. "Sarah?" He called.

She looked up at him, the smile still on her lips. "You were all so happy here."

Derek nodded stiffly. "It was the only home we'd ever known."

Sarah ascended the last few stairs quickly, stopping in front of Derek. He was at least a head taller than her she realized as she stared up at him, studying his chiseled features. His hair didn't quite lay flat, it seemed to be perpetually mussed, as though he'd just rolled out of bed or come inside out of a light wind. His five o'clock shadow was beginning to show, and she couldn't deny that it only served to make him even more attractive.

They stared at each other, neither willing to break the moment, but neither daring to make the first move. Sarah lowered her head breaking the eye contact between them… she wanted this far too badly for it to end well. Derek stepped back, his hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He'd almost kissed a girl six years his junior, and he couldn't bring himself to feel even the slightest bit guilty.

Turning around he led the way to his re-appropriated bedroom, smiling as Sarah flopped down on the mattress as though it was her own. Derek lent against the dresser, studying the girl who'd easily flipped every promise he'd made himself after the fire, without even knowing that she'd done so. He watched as she stretched her arms above her head, her hoodie rising up as she did, exposing a pale strip of her stomach. His eyes lingered there for a moment longer than was appropriate, not that the brunette had noticed as her eyes had fluttered shut as soon as she'd flopped on the mattress.

"Can I ask you something?" Derek spoke up suddenly, surprising even himself as he did.

Sarah propped herself up on her elbows, curious. _What could he possibly have to ask?_ She mused, watching as he shifted his weight on the dresser.

"Anything?" He pressed.

The brunette tensed slightly. _Did he know?_ Her thoughts questioned wildly. She wasn't ready for this conversation. Then, she never was. It was _hard._ "Sure." She replied tightly, her throat closing in an attempt to stop the word.

Derek clenched his hands on the edge of the dresser. How did he start this conversation? "That kid, Jackson, he uh. He said, implied something when I was at looking for you…"

Sarah fell back on the bed, shutting her eyes tightly. Well that answered that question. "Lydia's never been one to keep secrets with the people she loves." She mumbled. "Are you going to ask me what you really wanted to now?"

"Were you an addict?"

She shook her head. "The first thing you learn is that there's no such thing as an ex-addict." She laughed bitterly. "I'll always be an addict. Whether or not I'm in recovery is another thing altogether."

Derek stared at the girl in front of him. She was a walking contradiction. He doubted she even noticed and perhaps that was why he still found her so intriguing. "I'm sorry." He whispered, not knowing what else to say to her.

Sarah shook her head, still staring at the charred ceiling. "Don't be. Me being an addict had nothing to do with you."

Derek pushed off from the dresser and sat on the corner of the mattress. "Just because it wasn't my fault Sarah, doesn't make me any less sorry."

The brunette sat up and faced him. Her cobalt eyes searched his forest green ones looking for any sign of deceit. She sighed lightly, a smile almost playing on her lips, her hand hovering over his cheek.

"You are one of a kind Derek Hale." She whispered and before she completely lost her nerve, she lent forward and pressed her lips to his.

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this, please don't forget to favourite, follow and of course, review! I'd love to hear what you think!**

**~TMD**


	5. The Tell

**AN: Well, yet again it has been a while and I hope you are all excited for this update. Things will be getting a bit... well, I don't need to explain what happens between Derek and Sarah, because all you need to do is read on!**

**BUT,**

**Before you do, I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have Favourited (there's over 100 of you!) Followed (yet again, over 100) and Reviewed I can't thank you enough because it gives me the encouragement I need to keep writing! **

**DISCLAIMER: Writing a new disclaimer every chapter means I avoid insulting the man upstairs (and by upstairs I mean America and by man I mean Jeff Davis). However, if Teen Wolf was mine well Adian wouldn't have died, Ethan would still be getting it on with Danny, Stydia would be happenin' and as for Derek? Well, we all know Sarah would handle that.**

* * *

**Addicted**

**Chapter Five**

**The Tell**

* * *

_Previously:_

_She laughed bitterly. "I'll always be an addict. Whether or not I'm in recovery is another thing altogether."_

_Derek stared at the girl in front of him. She was a walking contradiction. He doubted she even noticed and perhaps that was why he still found her so intriguing. "I'm sorry." He whispered, not knowing what else to say to her._

_Sarah shook her head, still staring at the charred ceiling. "Don't be. Me being an addict had nothing to do with you."_

_Derek pushed off from the dresser and sat on the corner of the mattress. "Just because it wasn't my fault Sarah, doesn't make me any less sorry."_

_The brunette sat up and faced him. Her cobalt eyes searched his forest green ones looking for any sign of deceit. She sighed lightly, a smile almost playing on her lips, her hand hovering over his cheek. _

"_You are one of a kind Derek Hale." She whispered and before she completely lost her nerve, she lent forward and pressed her lips to his._

* * *

Her head fell against the back of her door heavily, her knees pulled up to her chest as she covered her face in her hands. Sarah sighed deeply. What the hell had possessed her to do what she did? She'd been caught up in the moment, caught up in the somewhat startling fact that even though he knew that she was an addict… he didn't care. She shut her eyes tightly, a small smile forming on her lips.

* * *

_She felt him freeze beneath her lips, and began to realize what a mistake she'd made. However before she could pull away his hand wound in her hair and cupped the back of her neck pulling her deeper into the kiss. _

* * *

Sarah smiled, her fingers tracing her lips as she fell back into the memory of Derek's scorching kiss.

* * *

_He lent backwards and Sarah followed him, using her hand to keep herself upright as he pulled her on top of him. Her other hand played with the hem of his shirt, pushing it up as her hand travelled higher up his chest. Derek's fingertips trailed down her spine, causing her to shiver as he did._

* * *

Part of her still couldn't believe that the kiss had even gotten that far in the first place. That if he was truly that against anything of the kind even happening between them that he'd allowed it to go as far as it had.

* * *

_Derek gripped her hips tightly and rolled her over, still keeping their lips firmly locked. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, that she was far too young, that he was taking advantage, but her kisses were intoxicating and all consuming. Part of him, the part of him that refused to care, screamed at him to stop, before this went too far and he was forced to care again, but when the feisty brunette beneath him pulled him closer, it was all he could do to remember to breathe._

* * *

Sarah sighed. How could something that felt so intensely _right _have been so completely_ wrong?_

* * *

_Sarah grinned against his lips, her hands tracing down his sides to find the hem of his shirt. Before he could react she pulled it smoothly over his head, their lips only separating for a second before she pulled him back towards her. She could feel the muscles in his back ripple as she teased her fingers across his shoulder. Her whole body tingled as his hands pushed her shirt up further, his hands stopping suddenly as they pushed against her bra._

* * *

She raked her hands through her hair roughly, tugging at the knots without care. She'd made a mistake when she'd kissed him but then, so had he when he'd responded.

* * *

_Derek pulled away from her quickly his eyes wide as he realized that he didn't want to stop this. He _wanted_ to keep going. He wanted _her_. More than he'd ever wanted anybody. He needed to stop this. For _her_ sake, he couldn't go there. He couldn't be in a relationship with someone six years his junior. It wouldn't be fair to either of them._

"_This is wrong." He whispered, hating the words even before they left his mouth._

* * *

Sarah swiped angrily at the tears that had appeared on her cheeks. She refused to cry. She'd put herself in that position and she would not cry because a man six years her senior had rejected her. Honestly, what had she expected? That he'd carry her off into the sunset and they'd have their happily ever after? God she sounded like Scott.

* * *

_Sarah stared up at him in shock. "What?"_

* * *

_Derek fixed his eyes on a point just over her head and locked his jaw. "This was a mistake."_

_The brunette stood up angrily, and shoved her arms into her jacket. "Well I didn't see you complaining when you were on top of me." _

* * *

She let her head fall back against the door, enjoying the short burst of pain as it did. She'd made a complete fool out of herself with him, and the only way she could see it being fixed was by ignoring the problem.

* * *

"_Sarah."_

"_Fuck you Derek." Sarah growled as she pushed past him, her temper flaring._

_He caught her arm, his eyes sad. He hadn't meant to hurt her. "I'm sorry."_

* * *

Getting to her feet easily, Sarah stripped off her jeans and tugged on a pair of slightly oversized track-pants and threw her jacket on the window seat without a second glance. _Sometimes_, she realized as she crawled into bed and pulled the covers around her, _Sorry wasn't good enough._

* * *

Sarah awoke over fourteen hours later as Marina and the Diamonds' _Primadonna Girl_ blasted from her mobile. Groggily she rolled over and slid the glowing green answer bar across the screen, weakly holding it against her ear.

"Hmmm?" She answered, her eyes still shut tightly.

Feminine laughter sounded in her ear, but even that wasn't enough to wake her up. _"I should have known that you'd still be in bed."_

"Whaddya want?" Sarah grumbled, rolling over.

"_I'm on my way to the video shop. What movie do you want me to hire?" Erica replied, rolling her eyes at Sarah's predictability. _

"Dude, the video shop only opens after six."

_Erica shook her head. "Open your eyes girl. It's half seven." Keeping her eyes on the road she easily changed the song on her iPod. "Late night sweets?"_

Sarah groaned into her pillow.

"_I'm going to take that as a yes." She laughed. "Care to explain what happened after Stiles took me home?"_

Pulling her covers up over her eyes, Sarah welcomed the darkness. "Derek took Scott and I to the Crossing Home. His uncle has been a patient there for the past six years."

_Erica took a deep breath. She hated the Crossing Home, exceptionally so, since her mother had threatened to leave her there on more than one occasion. "That's not a fate I'd wish on anyone, but it's not the reason you've slept through the day."_

"I did something stupid."

_Flicking on the indicator and turning the wheel, Erica glanced at her phone sitting innocently in its Bluetooth device and sighed, wishing she could see her best friend's face. "What happened?"_

"I kissed Derek." Sarah mumbled unintelligibly.

"_Speak up woman."_

Sarah scowled. "I kissed Derek!"

_Erica froze, her jaw dropping as she stared at her mobile. She did not expect that. Well, part of her expected it, at some point in the future perhaps, but not now, after less than a month of knowing each other. Looking back up at the road, Erica swerved back onto her side of the road and slammed on the break narrowly missing the curb as she parked outside of the video store. _

"_You kissed Derek?!" She yelped. "As in Derek Hale? Twenty-one year old Derek Hale?"_

Sarah pressed her pillow over her face and screamed into it. "Yes, and it was a stupid mistake and can you keep your voice down I think Scott's home."

_The blonde glared at her phone in lieu of her best friend. "No I will not keep my voice down! You kissed Derek Hale! Oh my god, is this even reality?"_

"You have no idea how much I wish it wasn't." Sarah replied tiredly.

"_Why not?" Erica gaped, cutting off the ignition. "That man has the body of a god and I bet he kisses like one too so what's your problem?"_

"My problem," She scowled, "Is that he pushed me away and called it a mistake. At that point his top was on the floor and his hands were up mine."

"_Ouch." The blonde muttered, slamming her car door._

Sarah buried her face in her pillow. "Tell me about it."

_Though her best friends voice was muffled by what Erica assumed was a pillow, she could still understand her easily. That's what happened when you knew someone for a long time. You learned their ticks. Glancing up at the Video Store, she scowled as she noticed one of the lights flickering. "Look Sare, I've gotta go. I'll grab a movie and come over okay? You can dish then."_

The brunette grunted into the phone unintelligibly and turned it off, fully intending to roll over and go back to sleep.

* * *

Erica sighed as she pushed open the heavy glass door of the Video Store. Four years ago she and Sarah had created a new tradition. Every Wednesday night they'd go to the Video store, choose a movie and then go home to watch it as they binged on junk food. It wasn't the most fancy of traditions or even the most longstanding, but it was theirs and they enjoyed it.

"Can I help you?"

She scowled at the chubby man behind the counter. "Yeah. Fix the light."

Keeping her eyes firmly directed at the floor, Erica made her way to the back corner of the store, which was, conveniently, furthest away from the broken light. Her fingers lightly traced the shelf as she browsed the DVDs before her. Classic rom-coms, trashy romances and the kind of comedic movies that could split your sides from laugher stretched out before her and she had to admit, it was hard to choose. Ignoring the obnoxious door chime she idly picked up a movie, her mind wandering as she absently read the back of the case.

Sarah and Derek. Well, she'd certainly seen it coming… the sideways glances, the way their touches seemed to linger for just slightly longer than was appropriate for 'just friends'. What she hadn't expected was how soon they'd act on those feelings. The age gap between them was huge, especially so because Sarah was a high school student. In her twenties the gap wouldn't have mattered in the slightest… but her best friend _wasn't_ in her twenties and the age gap was more than borderline illegal.

Erica shook her head. She wouldn't judge and she wouldn't interfere. Maybe things were different for werewolves. Either way, the relationship between Sarah and Derek would never be normal. She bit her lip, remembering another glaring detail that Sarah had obviously forgotten.

What would Melissa say about the whole situation?

"Oi Reyes!"

Erica jumped, cursing loudly. "Jesus Christ!"

"I prefer Jackson Whittemore, but you can call me whatever you want." The cocky boy smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh bite me Whittemore."

"It'd be a pleasure Reyes." Jackson winked.

"Ugh. You're such a sleaze." Erica scowled, pointedly turning away from him. Jackson had this knack of getting on her nerves, but, then again, Jackson was like that with everyone.

Jackson grabbed her elbow. "Help me find the Notebook." He ordered.

Erica pulled her elbow from his grip and stepped away from him again. "Find it yourself. Or better yet, say please."

"Please."

She smiled sarcastically. "Fuck off." She turned her back on him to browse another section of the store.

Melissa would undoubtedly be furious. She was a nurse, she'd interned as a midwife before switching to the surgical ward. She'd seen the consequences of those relationships. Erica paused. Could werewolves even have children? She banished that thought as soon as she thought it. Duh. Of course they could, Derek himself was a product of that. She sighed. Things were so much easier when Stiles and Sarah were making eyes at each other.

"R-Reyes?" Jackson called, his voice cracking on the first letter.

Erica dropped the movie back onto the shelf carelessly and turned around. "Seriously what is your problem? How hard is it to find a bloody movie?"

"Shut up, this isn't about the movie."

Shaking her head, she made her way over to him as slowly as possible. She didn't bother to be quiet, instead stomping up behind him like a putelant child. As she got closer the back of her neck began to prickle, the way it does when someone is watching you from a distance. Shrugging off the feeling of foreboding she stopped behind Jackson, scowling as he refused to move aside.

"Are you going to get out of my way or just stand there like a statue for the rest of the night?" She asked sarcastically.

The Lacrosse Captain, jerked out of the way, flattening his back to the shelf as he slid to the floor, his hand covering his pale face. Erica gagged, finally seeing what Jackson had been inadvertedly been hiding from her. The chubby shop assistant that she'd treated so badly not fifteen minutes before was lying on the ground covered in his own blood. She shut her eyes tightly. She hadn't heard anything, she hadn't seen a thing, and yet she knew that there was only one being who could cause that much damage to someone.

The Alpha was here.

She stepped sideways blindly, trying to get as far from the body as possible. In her shock she didn't notice the ladder blocking her path until it was much too late. Stumbling into the cool metal she lost her balance and fell backwards, landing on her rear as the ladder crashed to the ground beside her. The light that had been precariously sitting on top fell, narrowly missing her head as it sparked dangerously before plunging the store into darkness.

Crawling to her feet Erica grabbed Jackson's arm tightly. "We have to go." Seeing his frozen face she gripped his arm tighter. "Now!"

The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of his stupor and allowed her to tug him along through the aisles. The two teens were almost to the front of the store when a low growling behind them caused them to freeze.

"Too late." The blonde almost whimpered. She wanted to run, to hide, to do anything, but stand there with their backs to the monster that would kill them… but she'd frozen. She couldn't move. The tang of copper was thick in her mouth and she knew that she was minutes away from seizing.

The floor seemed to shake as The Alpha growled once more and Erica knew, then and there that she wasn't getting out of this situation. That moment of clarity caused her to act instinctively, releasing Jackson's hand and spinning around to face The Alpha she shoved the other boy towards the door. "Jackson run!"

The roar that followed her shout was all the encouragement Jackson needed to sprint for the door, not even feeling the slightest pang of guilt as he made it to the heavy glass door. He shook it frantically, feeling all his courage leave him as the door refused to open.

"It won't open!" He hysterically yelled, slamming his fist against the glass.

Erica couldn't respond. She'd grit her teeth so tightly together, trying to hold on to the last shred of control she possessed over her epilepsy, that she thought she was in danger of cracking her teeth. The Alpha snarled dangerously, it's savage gaze locking on her frozen form. Erica was well aware of who was at the top of the metaphorical food chain in this situation, and she knew that if Jackson didn't get out, there would be two lives lost in the video store that night.

Jackson's cry of victory as the door fell open caused her to turn around before she could register what she'd done. The floor seemed to shake as the monster leapt towards her. She threw herself to the side, falling into an aisle, adrenalin pumping through her veins as she stumbled to her feet, trying to get as far away as possible. Erica spun around quickly, her frantic breaths sounding far too loud in the absolute silence of the store. Everything seemed to stop for a moment, before an almighty crash echoed through the store, followed by another, then another and before Erica could comprehend what was happening she was slammed face first into the floor, the heavy shelves that used to hold DVD's pinning her in place.

She cried out in pain as she tried to forcefully pull her legs free, she wasn't ready to die tonight. All she had to do was free her legs, all she had to do was get out, she could get out, she could still get out. Tears began to fall down her cheeks, her body seizing violently as she lost her last shred of control.

A ferocious roar rocked the store, but Erica didn't notice, racked with far too much pain to care. She couldn't see the monster stalking towards her but she felt its hot breath on her back, and with the last bit of strength she had, she lifted her head, a bloody grimace on her lips.

"Do your worst."

* * *

Stiles smirked as he handed his Dad the take out bag and quickly opened his own, grinning widely as he spied the double serving of curly fries in the bottom. It was sort of a tradition of theirs. Once a week, Stiles would join his Dad on patrol they'd get takeout and spend some quality time together. Even if that quality time was spent in a Cop car, driving around the streets of Beacon Hills Stiles cherished every moment he could spend with his father. Besides, Stiles had a knack for playing detective.

"Did they forget my curly fries?"

Stiles shook his head, glaring at his father. "You're not supposed to eat fries. Especially the curly ones!"

Sheriff Stilinski scowled at his son and took a bite of his burger. "I'm carrying a lethal weapon. If I want the curly fries, I will have the curly fries." He replied around the mouthful of food. Leaning forward he made a grab at the paper bag his son was holding.

Stiles tucked it behind his back and slapped his father's hand away. "If you think that getting rid of contractions in your sentences makes your argument any more legitimate then _you are wrong_."

Grabbing a handful of fries out of the bag he shoved them in his mouth before John could do anything about it. The scowl his Dad projected in his direction caused him to smother a laugh.

"Unit One do you copy?" Stiles eyes widened as he leant forward, fully intending to answer the call.

Repeating the move that kept him away from the fries earlier, John slapped his son's hand away.

"Sorry." Stiles mumbled, leaning backing his seat.

"Unit One copy." John replied strongly.

Shoving another handful of fries into his mouth Stiles kicked his feet up onto the dashboard and reclined in his seat. If he weren't allowed to do anything, then at least he would be comfortable whilst doing nothing.

"We've got a report of a possible one-eight-seven."

Stiles' jaw dropped, half eaten curly fries spilling onto his lap as he sat upright quickly. "A murder?" He all but screamed. His father's grim face caused him to sink back in his seat once more. "Sorry."

"Location?"

"Video Store. Corner of Collins and Burke. Deputy Graeme is already on route."

John nodded, switching on the sirens. "Roger that."

Stiles' was completely silent during the drive. The idea of a _murder_ in Beacon Hills, one that wasn't on the outskirts, hidden in the woods that everyone avoided going into. This was in _town._ They saw the flashing lights of the ambulance before they saw the Video store, but as they pulled into the parking lot, dread had begun to flood their bodies.

"Dad." Stiles whispered as his eyes found the shiny blue Peugeot parked innocently in front of the store. "Dad, that's Erica's car."

"Stiles you can't be sure-"

"She's the only person in Beacon Hills with a Peugeot, let me out!"

John shook his head strongly. "No. You're staying in here. Where you're safe."

The doors to the Video Store opened and before John could stop him, Stiles had leapt from the still moving 3car, racing towards the Store. His stomach dropped as he recognised the small figure on the stretcher, her blonde hair, even bloodied and matted was unmistakeable. One of the ME's had straddled her, hand over hand on her chest, pumping her heart, the other, blowing air in to her lungs through an Ambu-bag.

"Erica!" He screamed, sprinting towards her. One of his Father's men caught him around the middle before he could reach her. He struggled in the stronger man's iron-grip, futilely trying to get to his best friend. "Get off me! That's my best friend! Let me go!"

The Officer twisted the teenager in his arms and gripped his shoulders tightly. "Stiles I need you to calm down."

If Stiles had been thinking clearly he would have never done what he was about to do. But he wasn't thinking clearly. Heck, he wasn't thinking at all. The only thing going through his mind was Erica and how pale she'd been… how much blood she was covered in. Clenching his fist he swung at the Officer, not even flinching when his fist connected easily with the older man's face. The Officer loosened his grip, not much, but just enough for Stiles to duck out of his hold and make a break for the Ambulance.

"Erica!" He shouted, practically shoving the M.E out of the way to get to her. His heart plummeted. She was barely recognisable. The skin across her shoulders had been practically torn to shreds, was her chest however the deep bloody gashes that trailed down her side were partially obscured by the M.E's leg.

"Son. I'm sorry, but we've got to get her to the Hospital."

"Then I'll ride with her!"

The M.E shook his head solemnly. "I'm sorry Son, but not this time."

Stiles hands shook as he gently caressed her cheek. She'd never seemed more fragile than in this moment, their sweet, beautiful Erica so… broken. Sweeping the matted hair off her face he held the back of her head softly as he pressed their foreheads together. "You'll be okay." He whispered, shutting his eyes tightly to stop the tears threatening to fall. "I know you'll be okay."

"Son…"

Stiles allowed himself to be pulled away watching helplessly as his best friend was loaded into the back of the ambulance. The Officer that he'd hit earlier had once again grasped him tightly, this time instead of having to hold him back, the Officer was having to hold him upright. Stiles glanced around the busy lot in a daze. He could hardly believe that any of this was happening- that that was Erica in the back of an Ambulance. He ducked his head as the Officer easily manoeuvred him into the front seat of his Dad's patrol car, his mind slowly processing what was happening around him.

He could see his Dad across the lot, his blank face surprisingly easy to interpret as he was, yelled at by Jackson Whittemore. He could see Officers processing the scene, using skills that they'd previously only used in the academy. Stiles pulled his phone from his pocket, the familiar weight of it not even slightly reassuring.

He hit speed dial. She picked up on the first ring.

"_Stiles?"_

"Sare… There's been an attack." Stiles' eyes roamed the parking lot, his tired eyes settling on the blood stained window of the Video Store. "I, I think… I think Erica was bitten."

* * *

Sarah barrelled through the double doors of the hospital, narrowly avoiding a wheelchair bound elderly woman. A hurried apology and she was once more racing down the corridor, dodging disgruntled nurses and patients alike.

She hadn't known how to react to Stiles' terrified call, heck after it she could barely function in a rational manner. She'd almost crushed her phone in her hand before she haphazardly grabbed the first jacket she could find and raced out the door. She'd ran from home to the hospital, non-stop, not caring who could possibly see her because there was only one thought reverberating in her mind.

Erica had been bitten.

She'd had but one goal since being turned and that was to protect her friends. Her _family._ Erica, Stiles, Lydia, Danny, her brother, they were all misfits, some less than others but they were her misfits, her family, her loved ones to protect. And she'd failed them. She'd failed Erica. Not once, not twice but three times.

Bypassing Reception, she sprinted straight for the Theatre Ward, fully aware that it would be the first place they'd send an emergency case and took the stairs three at a time. Sarah knew that she was risking exposure by being so reckless with her abilities in the middle of the crowded Hospital, but she was so beyond caring it wasn't funny. What good were her abilities if she couldn't protect her loved ones?

Spotting a familiar brown-haired boy, she practically flew into his arms, the tears she'd held back threatening to spill over. "It's all my fault." She whispered into his shoulder.

Stiles shook his head. "This is not your fault okay. Don't say that."

"She's in that bed because of me." Sarah replied, pulling away from Stiles' comforting embrace.

"She's in that bed because of the Alpha." Stiles snapped. "So enough with the pity party okay? Erica won't blame you."

Sarah lowered her head. "She should."

"No, she shouldn't. And if she does," He lightly lifted her chin, "If she does, then that's her problem. You're not responsible for that _thing's_ actions Sarah Anne."

"What if she hates me?" Sarah asked softly. So softly, that Stiles' almost strained to hear it.

"There is no reality where Erica Reyes could ever hate Sarah McCall." He smiled crookedly. "I'm ninety-eight percent sure that it's an unspoken law of Physics."

Sarah cracked a smile. No matter what would happen, Erica would always be her best friend. She just had to believe in that. "Can we see her?"

Stiles shook his head. "She's in surgery right now. The only reason I got here so quickly was because Dad put the lights on."

"It's that bad?" The brunette asked hesitantly.

The slightly taller boy slumped down in one of the uncomfortable chairs on the sideboard. "I've never seen so much blood on a person in my life…" He replied, clenching his fists. "And Erica she, she was barely recognisable Sare."

Sarah dropped down beside Stiles and hung her head in her hands. This wasn't meant to happen. Erica, she, she was supposed to be safe. She was supposed to stay human, to stay out of the firing line, she'd had a bad enough life as it was, she didn't need this on top.

Neither was sure how long they waited on the painfully uncomfortable chairs, staring blankly at the red-double doors, waiting, praying for them to open. What seemed like days later, two people emerged, one who was familiar to both teens.

"Mum!" Sarah exclaimed, shooting from her seat and grabbing her Mum around the waist tightly.

Melissa returned the hug warmly, her hands rubbing comforting circles on her daughter's back. "Erica is going to be okay kiddo. She's a fighter. You know that."

Her whole body shook as the tears she'd been holding back for hours spilled over. Relief flooded her system. Erica was going to be okay. She was going to be okay. She felt herself transferred to Stiles' arms, her Mum giving her one last kiss on the forehead before she went back to work.

"Can we see her?" Stiles asked over her shoulder, his voice noticeably watery.

"She's still unconscious. We're hoping to keep her that way until tomorrow morning, just to kick-start the healing process. She's in the ICU, but if you keep it quick, you can see her for a few minutes."

Sarah felt Stiles nod. "Thank you so much."

"Just keep it quick."

"C'mon Sare." Stiles whispered, letting her go.

Sarah linked their fingers together, more for comfort than anything else. The comfort she drew from Stiles was different to the comfort she drew from Scott or even Erica. Not only was he her best friend… but he was her first love too. Their relationship was more than entirely platonic now, and neither of them aspired for anything different. They'd tried, failed and fell into a relationship that worked so much better than any romantic relationship between them ever would.

Erica had been given a private room, paid for in full, no doubt, by Erica's noticeably absent mother. Sarah ate her words as they quietly opened the door to Erica's room, only to find a woman with long blonde hair in full Depute attire, gripping the unconscious girl's hand. From what they could see (and from what wasn't covered by the thin hospital blankets) Erica was almost covered head-to-toe in bandages, some, which had a distinctly red tinge to them.

"Mrs Reyes." Sarah whispered, slightly shocked. In all her years of being Erica's best friend, the longest conversation she'd had with Arlette couldn't have been more than five minutes.

"Sarah, Stiles." The somewhat standoffish woman replied.

"We just wanted to see if she was okay." Stiles replied, tightening his grip on Sarah's hand, an unspoken plea to avoid an unnecessary confrontation.

Arlette looked up at them, her eyes steely. "She's had multiple seizures and has been torn to shreds by some _animal._ I don't think that 'okay' is appropriate in this situation." She snapped.

"Mrs Reyes, we just wanted to see her." Stiles responded tiredly. As a general rule, Stiles enjoyed the company of everyone who worked under his Dad at the station… Arlette Reyes was most definitely an exception to the rule.

"And you have, now please leave me alone with my daughter."

"But-" Sarah started only to be cut off.

"Do not argue with me Miss McCall, I am well within my rights to ask you to leave, or have you banned from any further visits."

Sarah could feel her temper rising and clutched Stiles hand in a death-grip, if only to prevent biting Mrs Reyes' head off. Which was awfully tempting, especially since she knew she could.

"We'll visit tomorrow." Stiles replied, his voice slightly betraying his annoyance.

"Then do it when I'm at work." Arlette answered tightly.

Sarah glared at her. Releasing Stiles' hand she stalked out of the room, her wolf simmering below the surface as she pushed open the double doors at the end of the corridor far more forcefully than she needed to.

* * *

Adrian Harris surveyed his Chemistry class with barely hidden distain. Some days (most days) he questioned what had led him to become a teacher, especially when the cretins simply refused to learn. "Just a friendly reminder, Parent-Teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a 'C' average are required to attend." He glared at the increasingly bored faces of his students and sighed. "I won't name you because the shame and the self disgust should be more than enough punishment for your failure."

He glared at the teenager he considered the bane of his existence (in this class at least, there were more than a few across the entirety of the school) that was currently, scribbling all over his Chemistry textbook with an obnoxious yellow highlighter.

"Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" He asked, directing his question to the class as he glared at the now brightly coloured textbook. When no one answered he asked a second. "No? How about Sarah McCall?"

Stiles glanced up from his book, stamping down on a flinch at the unimpressed glare on Mr Harris' face and answered his question. "Sarah's at the Hospital."

"With Miss Reyes I assume?" Harris stated.

"You assumed correct." Stiles sassed unconsciously.

Mr Harris raised an eyebrow at the reply however, he was feeling generous and decided to let it slide. His eyes were drawn to the entrance of his classroom, only to see Jackson Whittemore, late (how surprising) again, strolling inside with his trademark scowl on his lips. He was uncomfortably aware of the situation two of his students had been in the previous night. He just couldn't shake the niggling feeling that everything that had happened in the last six years in this sorry excuse of a town could be traced back to a single drunken conversation with a beautiful blonde-haired woman. He couldn't shake the feeling that _he_ was the catalyst that had started the reaction… the butterfly in the chaos theory.

Reaching Jackson's desk, he leant down, his harsh gaze softening slightly. "Jackson, if you need to leave class early, for any reason, you let me know."

Jackson's shaky nod was all he needed to continue teaching. "Everyone." It took all he had not to call them Cretins. "Start reading chapter nine. Mr Stilinski. Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs, it's Chemistry, not a colouring book."

Stiles glared up and him. He was not having a great day. He'd picked Sarah up before school, and immediately drove to the Hospital, only to find that Erica's mother hadn't been kidding when she threatened to have them banned from Erica's room. Melissa had sent them both off to school, saying that she'd try to work something out. He hadn't been happy to go, but he had, if only because he knew his Dad would be furious at him for missing classes. Sarah on the other hand, refused to go anywhere, causing quite the scene with both the on duty nurse and Arlette Reyes.

The texts he'd received during third period reeked of smug subtext apparently Erica had awoken (most likely due to the screaming match occurring outside her door) and had completely disregarded her mother's furious exclamations and allowed Sarah to visit. According to Sarah, Erica had a rather discreet conversation with her mother afterwards, where she'd basically told Arlette to leave, stating that since she hadn't cared about her other hospital visits, so why should this one be any different.

Dropping the highlighter he rolled his shoulders back and leant towards Danny, who was sitting in front of him. Danny unknowingly held the answers Stiles was seeking to the other niggling questions of the previous night. Had Jackson or Lydia, seen anything. Judging from Jacksons traumatised expression, he was still trying to reconcile what he thought he'd seen, but Stiles wasn't going to question him on it. He simply didn't have the energy… or the patience for that matter.

"Hey Danny? Can I ask you a question?"

"No."

"Well, I'm going to anyway. Did Lydia show up in homeroom today?"

Danny glanced back at the scrawny teen behind him. He didn't quite understand the friendship Stiles and Sarah had, but he wasn't one to judge, especially when his own relationship with Sarah was also quite weird. Their entire friendship revolved around innuendo, flirtation, and not so innocent touches. He was flat out, unreservedly, completely and utterly Gay, but if there were one girl he'd ever call his wingman (and she was a damn good one at that), it'd be Sarah. He shook his head. "No."

Stiles sighed. "Can I ask you another question?"

Danny rubbed his eyes tiredly. "The answer is still no."

"Do you know what happened to Lydia, Jackson and Erica last night?"

"He wouldn't tell me." Danny replied softly.

"But he'd your best friend!" Stiles exclaimed.

"And Erica's one of yours!" Danny growled. His and Jackson's friendship wasn't mushy they didn't talk about feelings, that was what he had a boyfriend (and Sarah) for. Their entire friendship was founded on Lacrosse, and he was okay with that. "Why don't you ask her?"

"She's still unconscious." Stiles mumbled chagrined. "Just one more question?" He asked leaning further forward in his seat.

"What?" He snapped.

"Do you find me attractive?"

A loud clatter and a soft thump caused Danny to look away from his notes. Spying Stiles lying sprawled on the floor and gave him an indescribable look. "After that?" He shook his head. "Nope."

* * *

Sarah lazed on Erica's hospital bed, a sad smile on her lips. "How long do you have to stay here?"

Erica shrugged. "I don't know. Usually they just keep me in for observation, but it's different this time."

The brunette nodded, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm sorry Eri."

"For what?" Erica asked. "I know what you're about to say Sare, and I think you're wrong. You couldn't have predicted what was going to happen. You couldn't have predicted the Alpha's actions and you sure as hell couldn't have prevented them."

"If I'd been there-"

"If, _if_ you'd been there. But you weren't and I don't blame you! Sarah, the amount of seizures I had should've killed me, the Doctors are calling it a miracle… this bite, it's a gift."

"It's a damnation." Sarah replied, shaking her head at Erica's almost reverent stare.

"This coming from the girl, who was oh so accepting last week." The blonde snapped.

Sarah hung her head. "I guess I'm just a little more jaded."

Erica rolled her eyes. "Meaning you feel guilty and blame yourself."

"I just," Sarah sighed. "All I wanted was for you and Mum and Sti and Lyds and Dan to be safe. Look around you Eri! You're in a hospital bed because of me!"

Yanking back her hospital gown, Erica revealed the blood stained bandages covering her torso. "You didn't do this. You didn't tear my flesh so deeply that three of my ribs could be seen. You didn't _bite_ me. Contrary to your belief Sarah, _this wasn't your fault."_

Sarah shook her head, guilt still simmering in her veins. There really wasn't much point in arguing with Erica her stubbornness rivalled that of Scott's in this kind of mood. "The next full moon is in a few weeks."

"I know." Erica replied easily. "At least I'll be out of here by then."

"Out of the fry pan and into the fire." Sarah smirked.

"Oh stop quoting Melissa. You're far too young to turn into your mother, no matter how cool she is." Erica grinned. "You know, you're gonna have to teach me."

The brunette snorted. "Oh yeah, because I'm a beacon of self control."

Erica rolled her eyes. "You might not be, but you know a certain someone who is."

Sarah crossed her arms. "Oh no, we are not talking about him."

"Him?" The blonde asked. "What happened to calling him Derek? You could barely stop saying his name two days ago."

"Were you not listening during that phone call we had?"

Erica rubbed her eyes. "I was listening. Just because _that_ happened, doesn't mean we can't at least associate with him. Heck, Sare, we have no choice. We need him."

"Don't you think I know that Erica!" Sarah whined. "It was stupid and impulsive and reckless and you have _no_ idea how much I want to do it again, even if it ends the same way."

The blonde laughed. "Girl you have got it bad."

Sarah buried her face in Erica's pillow and groaned. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Um, no." Erica smirked, watching as her friend attempted to smother herself with a pillow. Shaking her head, her face turned devious. "Was he a good kisser?"

Sarah groaned again, louder and pressed the pillow harder against her face. Her best friend's laughter made her scowl. "Why is this so funny?" She whined.

Erica patted the brunette's shoulder lightly. "As your best friend I'm required to laugh at your misfortunes." Sarah's phone buzzed on the side table, but she showed no signs of answering it with her face still buried in the pillow, so Erica grabbed it. "Girl you have a text from an unknown number."

"Read it." The other girl mumbled.

Erica's hazel eyes widened as she read the text. She smirked. "It seems like you're not the only one overanalysing your little 'mistake'."

"What?" Sarah asked pulling the pillow away from her face.

The blonde held out the phone, text message on full display, smirking as Sarah's eyes widened.

'_We need to talk. –DH'_

* * *

Sometime later, Sarah found herself in front of the Hale house. It still seemed so cold and unwelcoming, but now, it also felt… familiar. Bouncing on the balls of her feet she rang her hands nervously. She didn't even know why she'd consented to come, other than the fact that Erica had practically kicked her out of her room. She was not, in any way, ready for this conversation. She wasn't ready to have him justify their 'mistake'. Her fist hovered over the weather-beaten, slightly charred red door for a moment before she sighed and dropped her hand.

Shaking her head she turned around, walking back down the stairs, hoping he hadn't noticed she was there. Her hopes were dashed when she heard the door swing open behind her.

"Don't leave."

She turned her head to the side so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. She sucked in a quick breath. Yet again, he was shirtless except this time his lack of shirt had nothing at all to do with her. The dark washed jeans he seemed to favour just did things to her… honestly it was no wonder she was do damn attracted to him.

"I shouldn't have come." Sarah replied softly, not bothering to raise her voice when she knew he could easily hear her.

"Just, will you come inside please?"

She turned around. "Why?" She growled. "So I can listen to you justify what happened?"

Derek scowled at her. "Give me five minutes."

Sarah shook her head and pushed past him stalking inside and taking a seat on the charred stairs. "You have two."

Derek sat beside her, their knees almost touching. "The other night. It wasn't a mistake."

"What?" The brunette breathed.

"What happened was the furthest thing from a mistake Sarah." He lowered his head. "But it can't happen again."

"What why?" Sarah asked, kicking off from the stairs and standing up, turning to face him.

"Sarah, you're underage."

"And you're a werewolf, I thought rules didn't apply to you!" She responded sarcastically.

"I can still get arrested, werewolf or not!" Derek snapped. "Look Sarah, I like-" He stopped, the tell tale click of a pump action rifle distinctive even from a distance. "Upstairs." He ordered grabbing her arm tightly and pushing her towards the staircase. "Go!" At Sarah's questioning expression he glared. "Now!"

"Derek, what-"

"Hunters!" Derek practically hissed. "Please, just go!"

Sarah bit her lip and nodded racing up the stairs she barricaded herself in Derek's borrowed room. It didn't sit right with her that she was leaving him to fend for himself, but she knew she'd be more a hindrance than a help. Resting her head against the door she focused on keeping her breathing steady as the house fell into silence.

She barely withheld a flinch as she heard the front door slam against the wall, the dilapidated house groaning against the abuse. Heavy footsteps echoed through the empty rooms as they crossed the threshold. Sarah covered her mouth with her hands, her breathing sounding far too loud in the resounding silence.

"No one home." A male voice mused.

"Oh." A female voice started, her smooth voice immediately setting Sarah on edge. She knew that voice. Kate Argent. "He's here. He's just not feeling particularly hospitable."

"Maybe he's out," A third voice added "burying a bone in the backyard."

Sarah counted three voices, two male and one female. She knew Derek was good, and that he could hold his own, but how long would he last against three Hunters? Especially when one of the Hunters was an Argent.

"Really?" Kate asked, her distain obvious. "A dog joke? You're going there and that's the best you've got?" Sarah bit her lip. Kate Argent didn't exactly come across as a beacon of sanity. She was completely unpredictable and that made her even more dangerous. "If you want to provoke him, say something like… it's a shame your sister bit it before she had her first litter… too bad she howled like a bitch _**when we cut her in half!**_"

Derek's infuriated roar shook the fragile frames of the house, causing Sarah to flinch. There was something so… _dark_, about Derek Hale that had nothing to do with him being a werewolf, but everything to do with his drive for revenge. A bloodcurdling scream followed by a sickening thump and a loud crash returned the grimace to the brunette's features. The cool crackle of electricity caused her to tense and the loud thump that followed caused her to bite her lip so hard she drew blood. It wasn't hard to guess that it was Derek who'd gone down to the bite of electricity but it was Kate's comment that removed all doubts in her mind.

"Wow…" The blonde woman drawled. "This one grew up in _all _the right places."

Hugging her knees to her chest Sarah withheld a whimper as she heard Derek groan. This couldn't be her life. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, her whole body shaking as she listened to her friend be _**tortured **_downstairs. How could this be her new reality?

"I don't know whether to kill it… or lick it." Sarah could practically hear Kate's smirk. The woman was an absolute psycho.

Sarah froze, suddenly feeling her phone vibrate obnoxiously in her pocket. Frantically she reached for her phone and gave it the bitch button, before turning it off and shoving it back where it came from. She needn't have worried however; the three hunters were far too preoccupied with torturing Derek or studying the back of their eyelids.

"Nine hundred thousand vaults." Kate giggled manically, immediately setting Sarah's wolf on edge. "You never were good with electricity were you Derek?" She paused for a moment and Sarah shuddered, knowing what would come next would be cruel and undoubtedly painful. "Or fire."

Kate laughed and suddenly Sarah was struck with the realization that Kate couldn't have possibly been born a murderer. Evil was created and Sarah couldn't possibly imagine the circumstances that had led to Kate's creation. Kate was someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone's aunt… but she was also a cold-hearted killer and Sarah refused to sympathize with the devil.

"So, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret and you know, maybe we can help each other out."

Shifting her position into a crouch, Sarah rolled her tense shoulders back. Kate was crossing into dangerous territory and Sarah wasn't certain if Derek would reject her offer if it meant finding Laura's killer.

"Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to catch you. Unpleasant, and frankly a little too Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my tastes, but still, quite true."

Sarah clenched her fists, hearing Derek struggle and fight against Kate, without being able to help and knowing that if she did she'd only be a liability didn't sit right with her. It made her furious, knowing that she literally could do nothing without making the entire situation worse for both of them. It reminded her of the quote her Mum had told her after she questioned why Evil never seemed to triumph in the fairytales she was put to sleep with as a child. Melissa had smiled, bushed her daughter's hair from her eyes and said 'all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing'.

"Now here's the part that will really kick you in the balls. We didn't kill her."

Sarah clenched her fists. Kate was _way_ behind the eight ball with that assumption, Derek had told her days ago that he believed the Alpha had murdered Laura for her power. In the world she now existed in, _power_ was everything.

"You think I'm lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Derek spat bitterly. Sarah felt her body relax slightly. Though his voce was bitter and somewhat broken, it was comforting, knowing that he was still okay, still resisting Kate's poisoned words.

Kate tsked. "Sweetie. Well why don't you listen to my heart and tell me if I am. We. Didn't. Kill. Your. Sister." Though they both knew that the Hunter's hadn't a hand in Laura's death, hearing Kate's heartbeat confirming that truth was a minuscule relief. "You hear that? No blips, no upticks. Just the steady beat of the cold hard truth. We found bite marks on your sister's body Derek. What do you think did that?" She laughed sarcastically. "A Mountain Lion?"

"Why aren't we helping each other out? You'll admit what you've been guessing all along. The Alpha killed your sister. All you have to do is tell us who he is, and we'll take care of it for you! Problem solved and everyone goes home happy." Kate paused, and Sarah knew she was searching Derek's blank face for the answer. "Unless… you don't know who he is either."

Kate laughed cynically, her laugh echoing through the house. "Well." She sighed, "Guess who just became totally useless."

The implications of her statement were glaringly clear to the hidden werewolf upstairs. She had to run. Sarah was moving before the gunshots started, leaping for the window, using the frame to swing herself up and onto the roof. Landing on her stomach on the shingled roof she pushed herself up, and sprinted up the incline of the roof, sliding down the other side so she was completely hidden from the Hunters as they exited. Much to her relief, Derek escaped the house unharmed, sprinting deep into the woods to avoid the Hunter's gunshots.

Sarah risked a glance over the top of the roof and scowled at the group of three outside the dilapidated Hale house. It was the first time she'd gotten a clear view of Allison's aunt (in the daylight at least) and it was easy to see why Derek had fallen for her in the first place. With her honey blonde hair, curves for days and sociopathic tendencies, why wouldn't you fall for Kate Argent?

"Leave it!" Kate spat. "We'll get him another day." As Kate spun back towards the house, Sarah ducked back down against the shingled roof, only just avoiding Kate's steely glare. "Enjoy your day Derek!" She shouted. "It'll be one of your last!"

Sarah growled softly, watching as they stalked back in the direction they came, thankfully in the opposite direction to Derek. The brunette waited a good fifteen minutes after the sound of their footsteps disappeared before getting to her feet on the surprisingly steady roof. Keeping a hand out to steady her, Sarah kept her movements light as she walked to the edge, estimating an easy thirty-foot drop. Rolling her shoulders back she stepped back and propelled herself forward off the edge, grinning as she landed in, what she thought, was a perfectly executed forward roll that ended with her back on her feet. Sarah smirked smugly as she brushed herself off. Being a werewolf certainly had its perks.

"You're adjusting well."

"You'd be surprised what you can adjust to." Sarah replied easily as she spun around.

Her smirk faltered as she spied the angry red electrical burns on his chest. Her hand rose of its own accord, her fingertips hovering over the wounds feeling the heat rising off them. Her fingers hit smooth flesh as he stepped closer, his hand lifting her chin, finding no resistance as he did. The words he'd said before Kate dropped by for a visit still rang in her head, but she found she didn't care if Derek thought it couldn't happen again. She knew he was having the same trouble fighting the pull between them as she was.

Derek cupped her cheek gently as he stared down at her, his eyes immediately drawn to her bloody lip. At some point during the Hunter's attack, she'd bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood and subconsciously, she hadn't allowed it to heal. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip, and took the pain away, watching as black veins spread up his hands.

Sarah's hand was flat against his chest, and she could feel the electrical burns healing beneath her hand, but that wasn't what had her attention. Derek's hand against her cheek, his thumb against her lip and his body so close had caused all rational thought processes to leave her and all she wanted to do was get even closer.

"Are you okay?"

Derek's smooth voice was honey to her ears, and she nodded. "Yeah…" She sighed. "Are you?"

"I will be."

* * *

"Scott Anthony McCall, you need to call me right now." Melissa ordered furiously, leaving yet another message on Scott's voice mail.

She'd just had to sit through two hours of parent teacher meetings all of which had ended and started the exact same way. Scott was failing the majority of his classes and he couldn't be_ bothered _to turn up to School. Shaking her head she rolled her shoulders back, thankful for the blessing that was her little girl. She loved both her children equally, but that didn't stop her being completely relieved that Sarah had managed to keep her A average, even in spite of the teachers who believed she'd do nothing but fail after her addiction.

"Mum!"

Melissa turned, watching as her daughter raced across the lot. "Sarah? Where were you sweetheart?"

Sarah's smile dropped slightly as she was enveloped in her Mum's arms. She'd rejected Derek's offer for a ride, instead walking the two and a half hours to the school. She needed the time to think, to breath and to get her center of gravity back. She wanted Derek, that was something she couldn't deny, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Anything that happened between them would be illegal.

But that didn't stop the attraction… for either of them. It was as though there was some kind of magnetic pull between them, something almost tangible in nature that seemed almost impossible to fight.

"I needed to talk to someone." She mumbled.

Melissa nodded against her shoulder. "Erica mentioned as much when I went to pick you up. Can I ask who this mystery person is?"

Sarah tightened her arms around her Mum. She didn't want to lie anymore. She didn't want to hide stuff from her Mum; it just wasn't fair to either of them. Their relationship had only just gotten back to what it was before her addiction, and now, with all the secrets that came hand in hand with being a werewolf, she was again drowning in a web of lies. "I needed to see Derek Hale." She whispered.

Melissa frowned, pulling away from the hug to place her hands on Sarah's shoulder. "Hale? Talia's Son?"

"You knew the Hales'?" Sarah asked, her shock obvious to Melissa.

The older woman nodded. "I did. Talia was a friend." Melissa sighed. "Why did you need to speak to Derek?"

"He gave me a ride home from that party Scott left me at." The brunette replied, stretching the truth slightly. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't quite the truth either and she wasn't sure if it made her feel any better. "I needed to thank him."

"That's a long way to go for a thank you." Melissa replied, a sly smile forming on her lips.

Sarah gaped at her. That was not the response she was expecting. "Mum!"

Melissa shook her head. "We'll talk about that later. Have you seen your brother?"

"Not since this morning." Sarah replied.

The older McCall scowled. "He was supposed to be here for Parent Teacher, and unlike you, he didn't have permission to skip out on school."

"Seriously? But he's failing!"

Melissa rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Yes, I've noticed."

Glancing around the school parking lot, Sarah easily spotted a somewhat familiar face. Knowing that Stiles _had _attended school (he'd sent Erica snarky updates throughout the day that the blonde had passed on with a numerous amount of giggles) there was only one other person that Scott would skip out with. She sighed. The next conversation would not be at all pleasant. "Mum." She nudged Melissa's side, discreetly pointing at the scowling Mr. and Mrs. Argent. "They're Allison's parents."

"He wouldn't…" Melissa stopped. "Actually, I take that back. I think we should go and have a little chat with them regarding the location of their Daughter."

Linking her arm through her daughter's she covered her daughter's hand with her own as they weaved through the gathering crowd of people to the bottom of the steps.

"Excuse me?" Melissa asked kindly, smiling up at them as they paused on the steps. "You're not Allison's parents are you? I'm Scott-" She smiled towards her daughter. "And Sarah's mother. I hate to say it, but my son isn't answering his phone calls either."

"_You're _his mother?" The male Argent practically spat.

Melissa immediately tensed, sensing the all too familiar accusation in his voice. Being a single mother she'd received more than her fair share of disdainful stares and patronizing smiles, and she'd proved every single one of her doubters wrong. "Funny how you say that like it's a bad thing." She quipped, her annoyance clear.

"Well I wouldn't exactly call it a source of pride since he basically kidnapped-"

Sarah's tightly coiled temper snapped. "What the hell do you think gives you the right to speak to my mother like she's an ant beneath your boot?"

The undercover Hunter glared at her. "Watch your tone girl."

"Please, I'll watch my tone when you start showing some respect to the people around you." Sarah snapped. "You have no right, whatsoever to speak to my mother like she is nothing. She's the most courageous woman I have ever met and she has raised Scott and I to the best of her ability and personally," She glared at the pair in front of her, "I think she's done a fucking great job."

Melissa laid a calming hand on her daughter's arm, withholding a proud smirk. Sarah turned to her, her eyes still flashing in anger.

"Mum I'm-"

"It's fine sweetheart."

"Mum he can't speak to you like that."

"Sarah, enough." Melissa ordered, her eyes sparkling. "We'll talk about it later."

Melissa glared at the parents of her son's flame and placed a hand on her hip. "First of all, how dare you. You know next to nothing about my son, yet you have the gall to accuse him of _kidnapping _your daughter? How do you know that it wasn't your daughter's idea to skip school in the first place?"

"I'll have you know that my daughter-" The male Argent sighed angrily as he stared over their heads. "Is right behind you."

Melissa turned, her keen eyes spotting her sheepish oldest child. "Scott Anthony McCall, where exactly have you been?"

Scott studied his shoes intently, his guilty sigh revealing everything to Melissa. "Nowhere Mum."

"Nowhere meaning not at school!" Shaking her head at Scott's guilty face she continued. "You're grounded." Her son's offended and annoyed expression made her scowl, especially so when he started to protest. "No buts! No Scott." She held up a hand. "You skipped school! You are failing enough classes as it is yet you still seem to find it a good idea to skip out on classes!"

Melissa turned her ire on the girl still holding onto Scott's arm, a matching guilty expression on her features. "You must be Allison." Melissa all but growled at the pale-skinned, dark-haired beauty. "I'm sure you're a very sweet girl but I think it's time for you to leave." Allison hung her head. "Your parents are waiting."

Glaring at her son she pulled out her car keys. "I'm going to go warm up the car and if you are not sitting in the backseat in the next ten minutes, you will be grounded for a month, instead of two weeks."

The twins watched their mother's retreating figure in silence, both struggling to hold in their emotions. Scott turned to his sister, no longer able to stamp down on his anger. "You told Mum I skipped!"

Sarah rolled her eyes, her own anger, at the Argents, at Derek and at her life in general bubbling over. "I've been at the hospital all day Scott, how the fuck would I know if you were, or were not at School?"

Scott lowered his head, his anger evaporating. He'd seen the aftermath of the Alpha's attack at the Video Store, Derek having taken him there hoping the younger wolf would have gotten a sense of the Alpha's identity. He'd seen Erica loaded into the back of the ambulance, he'd seen the blood she was covered in and it had been hammered home, quite effectively, exactly how dangerous the Alpha really was.

"H-how is she?" He whispered. Erica was a friend, and he'd completely forgotten about her. Guilt flooded his veins.

Sarah hung her head. "As good as she can be especially under the circumstances." She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. "She was bitten Scott… she was fucking bitten!" She spat violently kicking at a stray rock in the parking lot.

Scott shook his head and pulled the brunette into a tight hug, aware of how much Erica meant to her and how all she wanted was to protect their friends and family. "I'm sorry Sare."

Before the brunette could reply, a horrified scream echoed through the parking lot causing the twins to pull away from each other with identical expressions of worry. Scream after scream caused mass panic as people gave into their base instincts of fight or flight, the majority of the population choosing flight. Sarah lost track of both her older sibling and her mother in the throng, but found someone else in need of her help. Knowing that Stiles would be beyond devastated if something happened to his father, the brunette followed the Sheriff at a safe distance; hoping that she could at least, help him if he needed it.

She spotted the car long before John did, and sprinted towards him, bumping into people she didn't recognize, her hurried apologies lost in the wind as she raced past. Sarah caught John around the waist, sending him tumbling forward and let out a loud 'Ooof' as the car instead hit her. Falling onto her hands and knees, she cradled her ribs, pain shooting up her side. Sarah coughed, her breathing far too shallow to be healthy.

"Sarah?" The Sheriff called as he regained his bearings. Dropping to his knees beside the girl he hooked his hands under her arms and slowly pulled her upright, wary of her newest injuries. "What the hell were you thinking kid?" He scolded, fully aware that Stiles would have put her up to protecting him. Though, he supposed, Sarah wouldn't have taken too much convincing, he thought of the girl as his own daughter, and knew that she thought of him as her father.

Sarah leant heavily on him, trying to regain her breath. The driver of the car, jumped out, their horror obvious as they stared at the wheezing teenager. "Oh my god!" The woman cried. "I am so sorry!"

"Yeah, whatever." Sarah groaned, her ribs protesting every breath and every word. "Next time, check your fucking mirrors." She looked up at John. "I was thinking that Stiles would have my head on a platter if I let you get hurt John."

The Sheriff shook his head, holding her close. "I'm not going to say thank you kiddo, because what you did was beyond stupid. Besides, how do you think Mel, Scott, Stiles and Erica would feel if _I_ let _you_ get hurt?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I can't win."

John laughed despite the situation. "You're sixteen, you're not supposed to win." He shook his head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

John rolled his eyes and swung her up into his arms as though she weighed naught but a gram. Sarah whined, her ribs protesting the sudden movement. For the second time today Sarah flinched at the sound of a gunshot. John refused to put her down as he walked towards the scene of the crime, knowing that he could protect her better if she was with him. Also, he didn't trust her to tell Melissa she was hurting.

Sarah gaped as John came to a stop, staring in abject horror at the dying animal as it bled out on the now bloodstained gravel. She turned her head, hiding her eyes in John's chest. She'd seen far too much blood in the last few days for her to ever be comfortable.

"Sarah?"

Opening her eyes she turned her head to the side and immediately regretted doing so as she spotted her Mum running towards them, her eyes wild. "John? What happened?"

"She's going to be okay Mel, this one decided that pushing me out of the way of a reversing car would be a great idea. What she didn't seem to think through was that she'd get hit instead."

Sarah blushed, lowering her head, thoroughly chagrined. "I'm fine Mum, it's just a bruise."

"Just a bruise my ass! You got hit by a damn car!" Melissa scowled as she helped John put Sarah back on her feet. The older woman opened Sarah's jacket and pushed her shirt up her side. Her side had already darkened, an ugly multicoloured bruise colouring her tanned skin. "I'm going to strap that when we get home."

"Mum, they were reversing, it wasn't that hard."

Melissa scowled at her daughter, the brunette swaying slightly as John let her go, one of her hands still cradling her ribs. "I will be strapping your ribs and you will be remaining in bed tomorrow, and no, you may not visit Erica, because by bed, I mean your own."

Sarah sighed. She knew she'd be completely healed by tomorrow. Her mother on the other hand did not. "I'll be okay Mum."

Melissa shook her head and kissed her forehead. "I'm allowed to smother, it's a mother's prerogative."

"Sheriff Stilinski!" Sarah turned, as did John and Melissa, her face dropping as she spied both her brother and Chris Argent walking towards them. Sarah's eyes were immediately drawn to the gun at his side, well aware that she could potentially be on the other end of that if he discovered her other identity.

"I must apologize for the madness I caused when I fired, but I think I've caught your killer."

Sarah stepped back surreptitiously. Maybe it was an Agent trait, maybe it was something they picked it up later in Hunter 101, but his voice was a lot like Kate's. Sweet like honey but had a bite worse than a viper.

The Sheriff nodded and held out a hand. "I guess I should thank you for your assistance." He sized up the other man. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

Allison's father smirked, his eyes flitting over the company, seeming to search for their authenticity. "You can call me Chris. Chris Argent."

* * *

**AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed this update, and yet again I apologise for the wait. Follow, favourite and most of all_ Review! _**

**_T.M.D_**

**_p.s this chapter puts the word count up over 50K! Yay me!_**


End file.
